Summer Releases to Look Out for... Wes Anderson and Mission: Impossible 8

As the summer release calendar begins to fill, two major cinematic events are stirring very different corners of the film world—both bold in their own ways, both revealing where Hollywood might be heading next.

Wes Anderson's Next Chapter: The Phoenician Scheme

The trailer for The Phoenician Scheme dropped this week, and it's exactly what you'd expect from the endlessly stylised mind of Wes Anderson—except, maybe, it’s a little darker. This King Lear-inspired espionage comedy brings together a stunning ensemble (Benicio del Toro, Benedict Cumberbatch, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, and Michael Cera) for what looks like a high-speed, high-stakes caper through the pastel-tinted world only Anderson could create.

After Asteroid City and The French Dispatch, both of which leaned more toward aesthetics than emotion, some fans are hoping this latest outing might return to the more character-driven heart of The Royal Tenenbaums or Moonrise Kingdom. We’ll find out when it hits cinemas May 30, with a wider rollout on June 6.

Mission: Impossible 8 — The Final Reckoning (…or is it?)

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning promises a high-octane spectacle with a $400M budget—and some existential questions about the future of franchise filmmaking.

Despite being dubbed the “final” entry in the franchise, audiences are (understandably) sceptical. After all, John Wick and James Bond both “ended” recently… until they didn’t. Will Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt actually die this time? And if he does, will it stick?

Paramount is banking on this being a cultural event, not just a blockbuster. Whether audiences still trust studios to end a franchise with integrity is the real mission—should they choose to accept it.