If you’re a film fan, Christmas is a special time of year. Sure, there’s the whole presents, Santa Claus, and fighting with your family thing that everyone “enjoys.” But as a film nerd, there’s the added benefit of knowing there are a ton of solid films that are debuting right around then that will give you the excuse to leave the house and escape all that “fun.” This year, the biggest excuse might be the release of a new Paul Thomas Anderson film.
According to The Film Stage, who took the initiative to confirm with United Artists Releasing, Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, currently untitled but being called “Soggy Bottom” during production, is set to be released in limited theaters on November 26 before expanding on December 25, aka Christmas Day. So, even if you’ve been naughty this year, Santa can’t stop you from watching quality cinema. In your face, Santa!
The untitled film is the first feature from Anderson since “Phantom Thread,” which was released in limited theaters on Christmas Day in 2017. That film would go on to earn six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and take home one trophy for Best Costume Design. And obviously, whenever Anderson releases a new film, the buzz is off the charts with awards prognosticators predicting Oscar nominations as a given.
The new film is said to take place in 1970s Southern California and follow a story that is loosely based on Anderson’s life growing up. While unannounced, set photos and reports claim that Cooper Hoffman, Bradley Cooper, Alana Haim, and Benny Safdie (and maybe Sean Penn?) are all cast in the new feature. Cooper Hoffman is the son of the late, great actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman, adding some sentimentality to the feature, considering the late-actor’s relationship with Anderson.
So, while we haven’t seen any official publicity materials or anything about “Soggy Bottom” or whatever it’ll be called, you can pencil in new Paul Thomas Anderson goodness for this Christmas.