Some directors don’t even need to chum the waters to attract the big sharks. Filmmaker Wes Anderson is setting up his next picture, Moon Rise Kingdom, and rumors are already in full swing about the A-list talent circling the picture, which is a period piece set in the 1960s. According to Deadline, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, and Tilda Swinton are in talks to appear in the film, which was co-written by Anderson and Roman Coppola (The Darjeeling Limited). Producer Scott Rudin (Fantastic Mr. Fox) will join Anderson again with a target start of next spring. Hit the jump for a brief, slightly-spoilerish synopsis, more on the potential financier, and which roles these actors might play.

Here's Deadline's synopsis of the film:

“Moon Rise Kingdom is set in the 60s. Two young adults fall in love and run away. Leaders in their New England town are sticking the idea that they've disappeared and go in search of them. Norton will play a scout leader who brings his charges on a search. Willis is in talks to play the town sheriff who’s also looking, and who is having an affair with the missing girl’s mother, the role McDormand is in talks to play. Murray, a regular in Anderson films, will play the girl's father, who has his own issues.”

The production company Indian Paintbrush, funded by billionaire Steven Rales, is in talks to becoming the financier and producer of the film. Rales has collaborated with Rudin and Anderson on Fantastic and Darjeeling, and recently hired Rudin’s partner Mark Roybal as the production shingle’s head. Roybal has worked with Rudin for 14 years and served as Rudin’s production president for the last five. This reinforces Rales commitment to becoming a player in auteur-driven films.