Wes Anderson’s comfort zone when it comes to making a film is his own idiosyncratic head. His trademarks are fractured families, deadpan humor, dysfunctional characters that evoke compassion, escapism through drug abuse and alcoholism, and the unconventional use of slow motion sequences. Wes always designed his own plot and scripted more than a third of all his screenplays by himself. Until now.

For his next film, Wes is stepping out of his eccentric world and adapting Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox as a stop motion animation. The film, voiced by the likes of George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray and Meryl Streep has completed filming and is now in post-production. But with animated films, the post-production is almost seventy percent of the work. Infusing his quirky production techniques into this one too, he is recording the voiceovers outside of a studio, something veteran animation producers are skeptical about. Fantastic Mr. Fox is due for release in November 2009.

According to reports, Wes’ voyage out of his comfort zone might not end with the animated film. Universal pictures approached Wes to write the script for the English remake of the French comedy Mon meilleur ami (My Best Friend). The 2006 film by French director Patrice Leconte, is a story of an impudent antique dealer who gets a cab driver to pose as his best friend in order to prove to his peers that there is someone who truly likes his company, outside of formalities.

He took up the offer without hesitation. Although Universal hasn’t confirmed a director for the project, Wes is potentially their first and favorite choice.