Paul Thomas Anderson has found the star of his next film. And honestly, it appears the filmmaker has decided to just go ahead and land one of the biggest stars in the world, Bradley Cooper. Frankly, you can do a lot worse than an eight-time Oscar-nominated actor for your new film.
According to THR, Bradley Cooper is in talks to star in the new untitled film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. The film is said to take place in Southern California during the 1970s and follows the story of a kid actor and his teen years attending high school in the San Fernando Valley. The new drama marks a return to the familiar SoCal setting for Anderson, where he previously explored in films such as “Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia,” and “Punch Drunk Love.”
As mentioned, there aren’t many actors that have the same type of buzz that Bradley Cooper has in 2020. Having already been one of the biggest A-listers in the industry with multiple Oscar-nominated acting roles under his belt, Cooper’s stock only rose even more after writing, starring in, and directing “A Star is Born” back in 2018. Now, it appears the actor-turned-filmmaker is ready to work with Anderson, who is clearly one of the best filmmakers on the planet, coming off his own Oscar-nominated work in “Phantom Thread.”
The untitled film joins Cooper’s stacked slate of big-time features. In addition to his next directorial effort, “Bernstein,” in which he’ll also write and star, the actor is set to appear in the newest film from Guillermo del Toro, “Nightmare Alley.” Add to that whatever voice work he has to do with Marvel Studios, where he provides the vocal talent for the loveable Rocket in the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ franchise, and you can safely say that Cooper has a lot of huge productions on his schedule.
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Anderson’s latest feature was supposed to begin production in spring/summer of this year, but COVID-19 had other plans. Now, the report claims the production hopes to begin in the fall, but only if it’s okay for filming to commence in Los Angeles. Basically, it appears that Anderson and Co. are ready to go once they get the green light from the state of California. If filming begins in the fall, we could be looking at a 2021 release for the film, making it a clear Oscar hopeful.
