Manori Ravindran International EditorBill Murray’s mysterious absence from Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City” didn’t go unnoticed this week after Focus Features boarded the project and revealed new details about the film.The actor — an Anderson regular who elevated movies such as “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” and “The Royal Tenenbaums” — was one of the first to be attached to the Spain-shot film, which went into production last September.
On Wednesday, however, Murray was conspicuously missing from the pic’s heaving cast, which includes Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie, Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Carrell, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Ed Norton and Adrien Brody, among many others.A source close to the production tells Variety that Murray contracted COVID-19 shortly before the movie began shooting last September, and the project was forced to recast his role.
He’s not believed to have shot any scenes before dropping out. It’s understood that “Morning Show” star Carrell replaced Murray in the film.Speculation has been rife that Murray was potentially sidelined after it emerged that Searchlight Pictures halted production on Aziz Ansari’s “Being Mortal” this past April after a complaint of inappropriate behavior was made against the 71-year-old actor.
Sources indicate, however, that the allegations don’t have anything to do with Murray’s absence from “Asteroid City.”Back in April, Murray was quick to offer up his version of events, telling CNBC that he “had a difference of opinion with a woman I’m working with.”“I did something I thought was funny and it wasn’t taken that way,” Murray told CNBC. “The movie studio wanted to do the right thing, so they wanted to check it all out and investigate.
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