Best Actor Oscar winners just seem to gravitate to Paul Thomas Anderson, and for good reason. He worked with Joaquin Phoenix on The Master and Inherent Vice, and the great Daniel Day-Lewis on There Will Be Blood and The Master. Finally it’s Leonardo DiCaprio’s turn, who stars in Anderson’s latest, One Battle After Another, one of the most anticipated movies of 2025 and after a very brief teaser last week, the full trailer is here.
Anderson’s second Thomas Pynchon adaptation after Inherent Vice and his first film since 2021’s Licorice Pizza, the film stars DiCaprio as a former 1960s hippie whose past and estranged family come back to haunt him, jeopardizing the future of his daughter.
Also in the cast and seen in this footage are Teyana Taylor, newcomer Chase Infiniti, Sean Penn, Regina Hall, Alana Haim, Wood Harris, Benicio Del Toro, and Shayna McHale.
Warner Bros. is going all out for this one, perhaps expecting it’ll carry them to the Academy Awards. The film is being given a prime IMAX release date on September 26th, which means it’ll likely play at one of the prestige festivals first. It’s been a long time since Anderson had a critical and box office hit, though. Not since There Will Be Blood in 2007.
I loved Licorice Pizza more than most, and found it a return to form for Anderson. But I’d be lying if I said I was excited to see him do another Pynchon movie after Inherent Vice was such a disappointment. This one at least appears to be more exciting.
SYNOPSIS: From Warner Bros. Pictures and Academy Award-nominated, BAFTA-winning filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson comes “One Battle After Another,” starring Academy Award and BAFTA winner Leonardo DiCaprio. Oscar and BAFTA winners Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn also star alongside Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti, as well as Wood Harris and Alana Haim. Anderson directs from his own screenplay, and produces alongside Oscar and BAFTA nominees Adam Somner and Sara Murphy, with Will Weiske executive producing. The creative team behind the camera includes several frequent collaborators, among them directors of photography Michael Bauman and Anderson; Oscar-nominated, BAFTA-winning production designer Florencia Martin; BAFTA-nominated editor Andy Jurgensen; Oscar and BAFTA-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood; casting director Cassandra Kulukundis; and with music by Oscar- and BAFTA-nominated composer Jonny Greenwood.
