Brad Pitt wants to work with Paul Thomas Anderson—badly.
Appearing on the “New Heights” podcast earlier this week, Pitt was asked if there’s one director he’s still itching to collaborate with. His answer came without hesitation:
“I’m a huge PTA fan. I think he’s just damn brilliant. Paul Thomas Anderson. Yeah. Love him. That’d be good.”
It’s not the first time Pitt has publicly geeked out about PTA’s work. The admiration runs deep. In a 2019 interview, the actor lit up when “Phantom Thread” came up. “That movie… delicious,” he said, going on to praise the film’s commitment to 35mm, its costume work, and the level of craft.
A few years earlier, during a sit-down with Variety, Pitt doubled down on his love for “Punch-Drunk Love,” raving about Adam Sandler’s performance. There were even rumors that Pitt showed up to the set of PTA’s upcoming “One Battle After Another” last year.
Despite being one of the few remaining A-listers who can get a movie greenlit by sheer presence alone, Pitt has never teamed up with PTA. And yet, it feels like an overdue creative pairing. PTA’s penchant for emotionally frayed masculinity and Pitt’s increasingly meditative, stripped-down performances could be the kind of combustible chemistry that defines a late-career high point.
The ball now seems to be in PTA’s court. And while the director is currently deep into post-production on “One Battle After Another,” not to mention a mysterious Denzel Washington-starring film that’s been in development for quite a number of years, the idea of a future collaboration with Pitt feels more plausible now than ever.
Is A24 actually going to release this film before the year is done? That would be wild considering they've only just started marketing it — barely — and without much info beyond the title change and brief teaser.