Production has quietly gotten underway onPaul Thomas Anderson’s new movie, and information has been trickling out slowly – largely due to set photos snapped of PTA and his cast and crew filming in the street. That’s how we learned thatBradley Cooperis in the film (which is set in the 1970s), but now we know who the movie’s lead character will be played by:Cooper Hoffman, the son of the late, greatPhilip Seymour Hoffman.
PerTHR, Cooper Hoffman is playing a child actor in the film – a character who’s at the center of the movie. The coming-of-age story is said to involve multiple storylines set in the San Fernando Valley, boasting an ensemble of actors, but Cooper Hoffman and singer-songwriterAlana Haimare reportedly playing the central roles.
This is an extremely touching piece of news. Philip Seymour Hoffman first worked with PTA on Anderson’s first featureHard Eight, and the two forged a close friendship and collaboration that also includedBoogie Nights,Magnolia,Punch-Drunk Love, and their final film together – and Hoffman’s starring role –The Master, before the actor’s tragic death. Hoffman seemed to be exactly on PTA’s wavelength throughout, consistently stealing the show, and anyone who’s watched any of the behind-the-scenes features forMagnoliaorBoogie Nightsknows the two enjoyed a close camaraderie. So the inclusion of Cooper Hoffman here really warms the heart.
Hoffman and Haim are making their feature debuts in the movie, but Haim has actually been working for years with PTA as the filmmaker has taken an interest in directing pretty much all the music videos for the bandHAIM, in which Alana plays with her two sisters.
The notion that this new film is an ensemble movie is also exciting, as PTA has recently been on a tear of crafting two-handers likePhantom ThreadandThere Will Be Blood. This may be more akin to 2014’sInherent Vice, or perhaps even more excitingly, closer to the structure ofBoogie NightsorMagnolia.
The untitled project was originally set up at Focus Features but recently moved over to MGM. No release date has been set, but with production underway, it’s not out of the realm of possibility to expect it sometime in 2021.
For more on PTA, check outour not-at-all-controversial ranking of all of his films.
