Paul Thomas Anderson is one of those filmmakers from whom you largely expect greatness – but beyond that, you never quite know what you’re getting. A sprawling tapestry of tales like Magnolia? The thunderous (and darkly comic) brooding intensity of There Will Be Blood? The intoxicating bad romance of Phantom Thread? Last time, he brought big hangout vibes to Licorice Pizza. His latest, One Battle After Another, seems to be another total pivot, going by its first teaser. This one seems to be a return to dark and dangerous territory, with Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead. Watch the teaser:
It’s just a very initial taste for now, ahead of a full trailer coming next week – but it’s mighty exciting to have Paul Thomas Anderson back in business. Between all that gunfire, talk of “what’re you gonna do about this baby?”, and a dose of screaming, our Spidey senses are telling us this won’t be easy-breezy PTA. The film is said to be loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland, marking Anderson’s second take on Pynchon material after his Joaquin Phoenix-starring Inherent Vice. And as well as starring the likes of Regina Hall, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, and Alana Haim (of both Haim and Licorice Pizza fame), it marks the filmmaker’s latest collaboration with Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, back on music duties.
The teaser arrives, curiously, in the wake of the film’s release being delayed. Originally, it was due to come out on 8 August, and now it’s down for 16 September instead – admittedly, not a huge delay. We’ll find out then exactly what vibe Anderson’s cooked up this time – and stay tuned for the full trailer arriving next week.