In the trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson‘s One Battle After Another, Leonardo DiCaprio is having a bad day. In the upcoming film, the Oscar-winning actor searches for his daughter while navigating stop gaps, shady characters, and a vexing phone operator. In a rare move, DiCaprio joined YouTube to give the trailer a boost, his first social media account in years. The One Battle After Another trailer blends action and intrigue with dry situational comedy, creating a cinematic mix that demands attention from audiences, even if the genres aren’t your bag.
Paul Thomas Anderson directs One Battle After Another from his own script. Benicio del Toro, Sean Penn, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Wood Harris, Alana Haim, and Chase Infinity lead the cast alongside DiCaprio.
One Battle After Another is Anderson’s latest film since 2021’s Licorice Pizza, a coming-of-age comedy about first love with Cooper Hoffman, Alana Haim, Sean Penn, and Tom Waits. Oddly enough, One Battle is DiCaprio’s first collaboration with Anderson. Their union feels long overdue. Still, this is the perfect project to showcase their talents.
According to The Film Stage, One Battle After Another is a retelling of Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel “Vineland,” set in California during the fallout of President Ronald Reagan’s re-election and the political unrest that followed.
Cameras on One Battle After Another started rolling early last year in California, with Paul Thomas Anderson directing, writing the script, and producing alongside Sara Murphy. Details about the plot remain a mystery. However, Deadline’s exclusive report says the project includes a contemporary setting and is the “most commercial” endeavor Anderson has put their hands on. Powered by a commensurate budget, the untitled film results from a relationship that Warner Bros Picture Group co-chair/CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy forged while making Anderson’s Licorice Pizza. Adam Somner is set to produce.
In November, industry insider Daniel Richtman posted details about the plot for One Battle After Another. According to Richtman, Regina Hall plays DL Chastain, a character from the Vineland novel who is a martial arts expert and ninja. “She is the daughter of a military family that moves around the world,” reads the description. “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.”
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