There haven’t been many updates lately regarding Paul Thomas Anderson’s next film, which originally went under the title of “BC Project” AKA “Baktin Cross.”
After some brief interior shooting, I heard that filming had stopped for a few weeks and resumed, under a different working title which I’m not allowed to divulge here considering all the on-set attention that happened earlier in the year.
I also have a small scoop about plot details. Apparently, there are sci-fi elements in this film. PTA is said to have been influenced by Alex Cox’s 1984 cult classic “Repo Man.” There are also shades of “Vineland,” which had already been previously reported.
That’s all I have, for now. Shooting is said to continue these next few weeks in Mexico and Texas. I’ve also been hearing about Colorado, but couldn’t confirm that intel.
Warner Bros. greenlit PTA’s latest for the whopping sum of $175 million. Original reporting had it costing anywhere between $100-$125 million. The film is said to be PTA’s most “mainstream” film to date. What we’ve noticed so far, from on-set leaks, is that the film is heavy on action, with lots of car chase scenes.
An in-the-know journalist had previously told me that Anderson’s latest was a semi reworking of “Vineland,” based in an alternate reality America. Pynchon’s novel was set during the Reagan-era, and this one would be set in the Trump era although not explicitly referencing the 45th President. However, that’s just scratching the surface of what PTA has in store here.
The film has action movie elements, incorporating “the biggest stunts of PTA’s career”. Also, Sean Penn is rumored to be playing the head of a white supremacist group who tries to get rid of an interracial child he had in the ‘60s with Regina Hall’s character. DiCaprio is the adoptive father. It all sounds completely bonkers and impossible to describe.
PTA’s film is set to be released in theaters on August 8, 2025, including IMAX. The still-untitled film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Regina Hall, Sean Penn, Alana Haim, Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti, Wood Harris and Shayna McHayle aka Junglepussy.