Well, well, well. Paul Thomas Anderson, the man who brought us There Will Be Blood and made us all feel a little bit uneasy about milkshakes, is back. And this time, it looks like he's playing for a slightly different crowd, or at least, that's what the studio brass at Warner Bros. wants us to believe. Six brand-spanking-new character posters for his latest, One Battle After Another, just hit the internet, and if nothing else, they confirm one thing: this film is absolutely stacked with talent.
I mean, can we just talk about this for a second? Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti, and Regina Hall all staring back at you from these glossy new posters. It's almost enough to make you forget that we know almost nothing concrete about the actual plot. Almost.
We're told One Battle After Another is Anderson's first flick since 2021's Licorice Pizza. A film, mind you, that was a delightful, albeit rambling, coming-of-age romp. And yeah, it had Sean Penn in it, too. But Leo? This is the big one. Their union feels… overdue, doesn't it? Like, how has PTA, the guy known for meticulously crafted character studies and sprawling narratives, never worked with DiCaprio before? Seems like a match made in cinematic heaven, honestly.
Now, about the plot. Or, more accurately, the distinct lack thereof. We know it's supposed to be a retelling of Thomas Pynchon's 1990 novel “Vineland,” which sounds absolutely bonkers in the best possible way. Think California, the fallout of Reagan's re-election, and a whole lot of political unrest. If it sticks to Pynchon, prepare for a wild ride, because that man's brain operates on a different frequency entirely.
Cameras started rolling early last year in California, with Anderson doing his usual triple-threat act: directing, writing, and producing alongside Sara Murphy. Adam Somner's on board as a producer too. What we do know, thanks to Deadline, is that this project is set in a contemporary setting and is being touted as Anderson's “most commercial” endeavor. And with a “commensurate budget” (read: they threw some serious money at it), it's clear Warner Bros. is hoping to capitalize on that Licorice Pizza goodwill. That relationship between Warner Bros. Picture Group co-chair/CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy and Anderson, forged during Licorice Pizza, seems to be paying dividends.
But let's be honest, the juiciest bit of information, for those of us who obsess over this stuff, came from industry insider Daniel Richtman back in November. He dropped some tantalizing details about Regina Hall's character, DL Chastain. Apparently, she's a martial arts expert and ninja from the Vineland novel. “She is the daughter of a military family that moves around the world,” the description reads. “While in Japan, she is approached by a martial arts instructor who teaches her the secret ways of the ninja, including how to kill with a touch that takes a year to work. She is recruited by mobster Ralph Wayvone to assassinate Brock Vond while posing as a prostitute, but accidentally gives the death touch to Takeshi Fumimota, who has been sent in Vond's place after the plot was discovered.”
I mean, come on. A year-long death touch? Assassins and ninjas? This is not your grandfather's PTA movie, apparently. And frankly, it sounds awesome. It's got that classic Anderson weirdness, but with a punchy, almost pulp-fiction edge that could genuinely make it his most accessible film yet.
So, mark your calendars, folks. One Battle After Another is ONLY IN THEATERS SEPTEMBER 26. Shot on VistaVision, experience it in IMAX. We'll see if Anderson can pull off a commercial hit that still feels distinctly him. My money's on yes. He's always been one to defy expectations, after all.
