If you’ve heard Paul Thomas Anderson’s name in the news lately, it’s probably due to him teaming up with fellow directors Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese to try and save TCM from Warner Bros. Discovery’s draconic cost-cutting measures. It’s possible that these conversations are going smoothly, because Anderson has reportedly struck a deal with WB to distribute his next untitled movie, his first since 2021’s Licorice Pizza.
According to Indiewire, Anderson’s upcoming film will reportedly head to Warner Bros., where the director’s past working relationship with ex-MGM execs and current WB execs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy was crucial to the deal. De Luca has worked with Anderson as far back as Boogie Nights and Magnolia, and again recently with Abdy on Licorice Pizza.
The film is rumored to be a sweet coming-of-age story about a young girl training to become a martial artists. Some of the names floated to be involved include Regina Hall, Leonardo DiCaprio, Viggo Mortensen, and Joaquin Phoenix.
So we’ll see what happens here because this is a potentially awkward scenario. Could the whole thing fall apart if WB takes more decisive action with TCM? Some are wondering if WB chief David Zaslav would take that gamble, and I would kindly point them to the nightmare he helped create over at CNN. Yes, he definintely would.