Bill Murray had to drop out of new Wes Anderson movie due to COVID

The 71-year-old actor – who is a frequent collaborator of Anderson’s – was due to reunite with the director to shoot the movie in Spain in 2021 but his role had to be recast after Bill contracted the virus, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The movie – which was filmed between August and October 2021 – is now in post-production.

The romantic comedy-drama film written, directed, and produced by Anderson, features a star-studded cast.

Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Ed Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis and Stephen Park are among those in the ensemble.

Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie, Tony Revolori, Jake Ryan, Grace Edwards, Aristou Meehan, Sophia Lillis, Ethan Lee, Jeff Goldblum and Rita Wilson also star.

It tells the story of a fictional American desert town in 1955 and its Junior Stargazer convention, which brings together students and parents from across the country.

Focus Features will distribute ‘Asteroid City’, with Peter Kujawski, the chairman of Focus Features, previously saying: “We are beyond thrilled to be the global home for ‘Asteroid City,’ bringing Focus back in business with Wes and his producing partners.

“Wes is a generational talent whose films delight audiences around the world; and we’re sure that the combination of his incredibly emotional story and vision combined with the insanely talented group of actors he has assembled, will mean that ‘Asteroid City’ will be no different.”