This THR piece says Benicio Del Toro will be joining the cast of Paul Thomas Anderson’s next film, which is currently shooting in California.
This is a reunion of sorts as Del Toro worked with PTA on 2014’s “Inherent Vice.” He will be joining an ensemble that already includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Regina Hall, Alana Haim, Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti.
Based on what I know, PTA’s still-untitled film is close to wrapping up production in California and will, again, be taking a small break from shooting before heading into Texas, Mexico and Colorado later in the fall. This one could conceivably continue on until the fall.
The film, which started shooting in January, has paused and resumed shooting a few times already, and, given the chaotic post-strike schedules of some of the actors, might take most of the year to be completed.
The most recent footage had the cast and crew shooting in the San Diego desert. The scenes being shot involved car chases, crashes and explosions. Although the budget has been reported to be $100M, Jeff Sneider recently stated that it might be closer to $175M.
The film, set for release on August 8, 2025, has action movie elements, incorporating “the biggest stunts of PTA’s career.” PTA is shooting it all on 35mm and in VistaVision. Michael Bauman is being credited as the DP on the project which is currently under the working title “BC Project” AKA “Baktin Cross Project.”
I recently revealed that there might be some sci-fi elements to the story. PTA is said to have been influenced by Alex Cox’s 1984 cult classic “Repo Man.” There are also indications that Thomas Pynchon’s “Vineland” is being loosely adapted here.