Wes Anderson’s newest film has an alien quality to it – as per usual.

This time around, though, the director of quirky fare like The Grand Budapest Hotel and The French Dispatch made a movie not about oddball humans or the alienation of modern life. Nope, Asteroid City is about a possible invasion of little green men.

Asteroid City is set in the 1950s in a fictional American desert town holding a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention, which is designed to unite students and parents in scholarly competition, chaos ensues as world-changing events take place.

a tiny desert town off the freeway where Jason Schwartzman and his kids find themselves stranded, after their car literally explodes. Schwartzman’s newly-widowed character must call his father-in-law, played by Anderson newcomer Tom Hanks, to pick up his three daughters while he stays behind with his son (Jake Ryan) to wait for the car repair.

Meanwhile, the town’s population explodes with newcomers, including Scarlett Johansson, playing a fading actress; Jeffrey Wright as a military man who tells the assembled outer space buffs about the meteor that struck the city in 3,007 BC, an event commemorated on “Asteroid Day;” and Maya Hawke, who appears as a schoolteacher.

The film’s massive ensemble cast also includes Hong Chau, Margot Robbie, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Ed Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Stephen Park, Rupert Friend, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Jason Schwartzman, Willem Dafoe, Tony Revolori, Jake Ryan, Grace Edwards, Aristou Meehan, Sophia Lillis, Ethan Lee, Jeff Goldblum and Rita Wilson. Carrell replaces Anderson mainstay Bill Murray, who had to drop out of the cast after contracting COVID.

Anderson penned the script along with Roman Coppola, who has worked with the director on The French Dispatch, Isle of Dogs, The Darjeeling Limited and Moonrise Kingdom. Anderson produced the film with longtime collaborators Jeremy Dawson and Steven Rales of Indian Paintbrush. John Peet and Octavia Peissel co-produced the film with executive producers Christoph Fisser and Henning Molfenter.

The film is expected to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, according to Variety, with a limited theatrical release set for June 16 and a wide release June 23.