{"id":45638,"date":"2026-07-03T16:51:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T16:51:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/45638\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T16:51:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T16:51:14","slug":"wes-anderson-bill-murray-tease-western-project-at-cinema-paradiso","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/45638\/","title":{"rendered":"Wes Anderson, Bill Murray Tease Western Project at Cinema Paradiso"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tWes Anderson<\/a> and Bill Murray<\/a> teased a Western project during a surprise onstage reunion in Paris, with Anderson saying he and Murray have \u201cfor many years\u201d talked about making one \u2014 potentially with Owen and Luke Wilson.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe exchange took place at Cinema Paradiso<\/a>, the star-studded four-day festival of open-air screenings and live music organized by indie film powerhouse MK2 in the courtyard of the Louvre museum in Paris from July 1-4.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile Anderson was presenting his 2014 classic film \u201cThe Grand Budapest Hotel,\u201d Murray popped up on stage and delighted the crowd with his deadpan riff about what the filmmaker is like on set.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe question is: what is Wes like to work with on set?\u201d Murray said, standing beside Anderson. \u201cAs you can see, he has a beautiful smile. Come on, smile. He has a beautiful smile, and he withholds it. He does not give us a smile all through the day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMurray continued, \u201cYou can do a take, you can look at your director, you can finish the scene, you can shoot the reverse \u2014 nothing. But later, after Wes has had dessert, here comes that beautiful smile again. So he really needs dessert all day long.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe actor joked that Anderson was \u201cnot happy unless\u201d he has \u201cchocolate or panna cotta,\u201d adding, \u201cThat\u2019s what he\u2019s like to work with. I know that doesn\u2019t sound professional \u2014 more medical \u2014 but it\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tCr\u00e9dit Instagram : @odieuxboby<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBOBY<\/p>\n

\n\tMurray has long been a fixture in Anderson\u2019s cinematic universe, appearing in 10 of the director\u2019s films over nearly three decades, from \u201cRushmore,\u201d \u201cThe Royal Tenenbaums\u201d and \u201cThe Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou\u201d to \u201cFantastic Mr. Fox,\u201d \u201cMoonrise Kingdom,\u201d \u201cThe Grand Budapest Hotel,\u201d \u201cThe French Dispatch\u201d and \u201cThe Phoenician Scheme.\u201d He was also due to appear in Anderson\u2019s \u201cAsteroid City,\u201d but had to drop out after contracting COVID in England (he was eventually replaced by Steve Carell).<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe movie I want to make is a cowboy movie, because he\u2019s (Anderson) from Texas, and I feel he owes the world a cowboy movie,\u201d Murray said. \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019ve started walking like this,\u201d he added, adopting a Western gait.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnderson then confirmed the idea had been circulating for years. \u201cWe will do a Western, you know. I think,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cFor many years, we\u2019ve talked about doing a Western. Owen and Luke Wilson, I think, will be a part of that\u2026 They\u2019re from Texas, too, and I think it\u2019s our destiny.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFor MK2, the moment captured the spirit of Cinema Paradiso, Elisha Karmitz<\/a>, co-CEO of MK2, told Variety. \u201cThe goal of this event is to inspire wonder through film,\u201d he said, before adding that \u201cit\u2019s aimed at the general public, combining film, music, and gastronomy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt feels more like a music festival where films are being screened than a traditional film festival,\u201d Karmitz said. He pointed that Cinema Paradiso has, for more than a decade, been built around \u201ceventizing films\u201d and creating shared experiences around them.<\/p>\n

\n\tHeld outdoors at night, the festival welcomes 3,000 spectators seated on deckchairs across the Louvre\u2019s Cour Carr\u00e9e. Access is free through a lottery system, with MK2 receiving around 200,000 ticket requests each year.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tCr\u00e9dit Instagram : @odieuxboby<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBOBY<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile admission is free, the event has a roughly \u20ac2 million production budget and is financed entirely through sponsors rather than ticket sales. The main sponsor is Japanese cinema entrepreneur Mr. Kinoshita, who has supported Cinema Paradiso since 2019 and \u201cwithout whom, truly, the event could not take place,\u201d Karmitz said.<\/p>\n

\n\tOther major partners include Chanel, which previously backed MK2 for the 2015 edition of Cinema Paradiso at the Grand Palais and is now supporting the Louvre edition for the second year, in addiiton to Peugeot, with whom MK2 recently staged a Paradiso drive-in activation at the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit.<\/p>\n

\n\tThis year\u2019s Cinema Paradiso lineup reflects the festival\u2019s mix of cinephile nostalgia, contemporary auteurs, live music and Parisian spectacle. Alongside Anderson and Murray\u2019s appearance for \u201cThe Grand Budapest Hotel,\u201d the four-night program sees Joachim Trier presenting his Oscar-winning film \u201cThe Worst Person in the World;\u201d L\u00e9a Mysius presenting her Cannes competition film \u201cBirthday Girl\u201d alongside Monica Bellucci; and a closing screening of Celine Sciamma\u2019s \u201cPortrait of a Lady on Fire,\u201d which has visual connection to the Louvre\u2019s collections.<\/p>\n

\n\tKarmitz said the programming is built around a balance of cult titles, recent classics, previews and films connected to the venue itself. \u201cCinema, and creating events around cinema, is our passion,\u201d he said. \u201cAt MK2, we have a community of spectators, and we like to live that passion with our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMK2 has been a leading force behind the flourishing of alternative cultural offerings in the French capital. It notably released in theaters \u201cKaizen,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0a\u00a0documentary\u00a0<\/a>that followed YouTube star Inoxtag climbing the Mount Everest.<\/p>\n

\n\tLed by brothers Nathana\u00ebl and Elisha Karmitz, the family-owned company, which runs a popular arthouse exhibition chain in Paris and won four prizes at the Cannes Film Festival, recently opened its capital to the public <\/a>for the first time in its 52-year history. The crowdfunding campaign, launched on investment platform Lita, is meant to help bankroll the modernization and expansion of the MK2 Biblioth\u00e8que, a 20-screen complex in the 13th arrondissement which is believed to rank as Paris\u2019 third largest movie theater.<\/p>\n

#BillMurray<\/a> says he wants to star in a cowboy movie directed by #WesAnderson<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s from Texas, and I feel like he owes it to the world to make a cowboy movie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Murray and Anderson presented \u201cThe Grand Budapest Hotel\u201d in the courtyard of the Louvre, where MK2 is holding Cinema\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/Hqf9ysIIcw<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Variety (@Variety) July 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n