Reese Witherspoon, Jena Malone and Martin Short join P.T. Anderson’s Inherent Vice

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Films from director Paul Thomas Anderson are known for having fantastic casts but the crew he has lined up for his latest film is just ridiculous.

Deadline has learned that Reese Witherspoon has signed on to INHERENT VICE, although it is unknown at this time who she will be playing in the film. The movie is an adaptation of the Thomas Pychon novel of the same name and is about a pot-smoking private investigator in 1970's L.A. tracking down a kidnapped woman he used to date. The Wrap meanwhile has news that Martin Short and Jena Malone have also signed on for roles in INHERENT VICE. Short will apparently have a small part in the film while Jena Malone will be playing a drug addict that requires help from the private investigator. They join previously cast Joaquin Phoenix (who will be playing the lead), Benicio Del Toro and Owen Wilson.

Book description:

Part noir, part psychedelic romp, all Thomas Pynchon- private eye Doc Sportello surfaces, occasionally, out of a marijuana haze to watch the end of an era.

In this lively yarn, Thomas Pynchon, working in an unaccustomed genre that is at once exciting and accessible, provides a classic illustration of the principle that if you can remember the sixties, you weren’t there.

It’s been a while since Doc Sportello has seen his ex-girlfriend. Suddenly she shows up with a story about a plot to kidnap a billionaire land developer whom she just happens to be in love with. It’s the tail end of the psychedelic sixties in L.A., and Doc knows that “love” is another of those words going around at the moment, like “trip” or “groovy,” except that this one usually leads to trouble. Undeniably one of the most influential writers at work today, Pynchon has penned another unforgettable book.

Everything about this film sounds awesome. I can't wait to see a P.T. Anderson movie that seems like it will have more humor than what we are used to from the director (although there are funny parts in all his films I wouldn't call any of them comedies) and with a cast like this INHERENT VICE could end up being really special.

Production on INHERENT VICE should begin soon and the film will probably be out sometime in 2014.