For his 2021 film Licorice Pizza, director Paul Thomas Anderson made something of a swerve when casting the film’s leads. Given that Anderson films have been toplined by the likes of Daniel Day-Lewis, Adam Sandler and Joaquin Phoenix, it was a little surprising to see Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman in the leading roles of this one. Which isn’t to say that either was a stranger to the filmmaker, especially Haim — whose band had worked with Anderson on several music videos. It was a gamble that paid off, making for a film that resonated with critics and audiences alike.
If you enjoyed the last Haim/Anderson collaboration, there’s encouraging news about the filmmaker’s next project. The Hollywood Reporter‘s Mia Galuppo writes that Haim will appear in Anderson’s forthcoming film, which is currently untitled. Haim was one of four cast members revealed in Galuppo’s article; the other three are Teyana Taylor, Wood Harris and Shayna McHayle.
That’s an impressive quartet, and they join a trio of already-announced members of the cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Regina Hall and Sean Penn — the last of whom also appeared in Licorice Pizza as a William Holden-esque actor.
What Happens When Paul Thomas Anderson Makes a Feel-Good Movie?
“Licorice Pizza” sees the director at his most nostalgic, looking back at his California youth with trademark fastidiousness — but also a gauzy sense of optimismA report on the film’s shooting in Lost Coast Outpost revealed some more details from the shoot, including speculation that this as-yet-untitled film would be another reteaming of a kind — namely, that it would be Anderson’s second time adapting a Thomas Pynchon novel. Specifically, Vineland — a rumor that’s been floating around for a while now. As an admirer of Anderson’s earlier adaptation of Pynchon’s Inherent Vice and of Vineland (the first Pynchon novel I read, actually), this is an especially intriguing bit of speculation.
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