Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, and Regina Hall begin filming Paul Thomas Anderson’s untitled film

Last Updated on January 12, 2024

Warner Bros. is starting the new year off strong by partnering with some of Hollywood’s most sought-after talent for film projects worth getting excited about. After promoting its partnership with Tom Cruise for original and franchise-related films, WB announced a union with Paul Thomas Anderson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, and Regina Hall for an untitled film by Anderson. 

Cameras on Anderson’s untitled film start rolling early this year in California, with the filmmaker 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.

Back in November, industry insider Daniel Richtman posted details about the plot for Anderson’s untitled film. According to Richtman, it’s been long-rumored that the project will be an adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland. Richtman’s plot description does seem to confirm that will be the case. He states that Regina Hall is attached to play DL Chastain, a character from the 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.”

Last year was a rough one for Warner Bros. In addition to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes gumming up the works for several months, WB became something of an industry villain in the cinematic space because of questionable decisions made by its top brass, including Warner Bros. Discover CEO David Zaslav. Film fans did not take kindly to WB shelving movies like Batgirl, Scoob! Holiday Hunt, Coyote vs. Acme, and, in the eyes of the public, the studio has much to make up for in the new year.

DiCaprio has hit pick of the litter regarding his next acting gig after bringing down the house alongside Golden Globe-winning actor Lily Gladstone in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. While several studios are vying for The Wolf of Wall Street actor’s time, Anderson appears to have emerged victorious.

You can catch Sean Penn as Clark in the Christy Hall-directed drama Daddio, focusing on a woman taking a cab ride from JFK who converses with the driver about the important relationships in their lives. Dakota Johnson, Shannon Gannon, and Marcos A. Gonzalez also star as primary cast members.

Last but never least, Regina Hall will reprise her role as Ryan Pierce for a sequel to the 2017 comedy Girls Trip. Hall will be joined by Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Tiffany Haddish for the fun and flirtatious follow-up.

As the project develops, we’ll bring you more details about Paul Thomas Anderson’s untitled film.