PTA’s ‘One Battle After Another’ Was “Inspired” by ‘Vineland’

Just a quick update on Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another.” It’s been finally confirmed, via WGA filing, that the film was “inspired” by Thomas Pynchon’s “Vineland.” The test reactions hinted that was the case, but it’s good to have official confirmation. You can check out a copy of the filing at the bottom of this article.

Anderson has mentioned “Vineland,” numerous times over the years and, in a 2014 Time Out interview, even insinuated that he tried to script it: “I'd wanted to adapt “Vineland”, but I never had the courage. It seemed to be a great way to translate [Pynchon] into a movie.

“I am the type of person who hears there’s a new Pynchon book, and I will go to the Internet five times a minute to see what new information there is. I am that pathological about it. So, when I heard there was a new book, I was just waiting and waiting for it to come out.” — IndieWire

“I read Vineland a couple of months ago, and there were sections where I felt like I was just floating. I got a high out of it.” — Rolling Stone

“Vineland,” which all these years has been described as an unfilmable novel, has an almost indescribable plot so it makes sense that PTA would decide to take liberties with the source material, and turn it more into a loosely inspired adaptation.

The core plot of “Vineland” revolves around the reunion of Zoyd Wheeler, a former countercultural activist, and his ex-wife Frenesi Gates, who became a government informant. Set in the 1980s, the novel explores their past involvement in radical progressive movements, Frenesi's betrayal, and the impact of her actions on their daughter, Prairie. They are also hunted down by Brock Vond, a corrupt and authoritarian DEA agent who tries to suppress the remnants of the counterculture.

Anderson has already tackled a Thomas Pynchon novel in the past, 2014’s “Inherent Vice.” That turned out to be the most polarizing movie of his career. Pynchon movie adaptations are very risky, the author’s way of writing and telling a story is a beast of its own, and on paper, can be seen as a real chore to translate on screen.