Five months from its planned theatrical release, mysteries still swirl around Paul Thomas Anderson‘s upcoming blockbuster at Warner Bros. But cross at least this mystery off the list, as a new WGA filing for the project confirms it’s “inspired by” Thomas Pynchon‘s 1990 novel “Vineland.” That makes the film the second time Anderson brings Pynchon’s work to the big screen, the first time being 2014’s “Inherent Vice.”
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But bear in mind “inspired by” is not synonymous with “adaptation.” But Anderson has had great success in taking liberties with novels before. 2007’s “There Will Be Blood” was originally an adaptation of Sinclair Lewis‘ “Oil!” before the writer-director’s vision veered in a more singular direction. Fans know how that went: that film remains arguably Anderson’s most acclaimed work to date, led by a timeless lead performance from Daniel Day Lewis.
“Vineland” is an altogether different beast than “Oil!,” however. It’s a shaggy, rollicking reckoning by Pynchon of the 1960s radicalism set in President Ronald Reagan‘s ’80s. Pynchon’s novel follows Zoyd Wheeler, former activist, as he deals with the familial fallout with his informant ex-wife and their fourteen-year-old daughter, and evades corrupt DEA agent Brock Vond, whos’ out to destroy what’s left of American counterculture. For Anderson to make “Vineland” work for a modern audience, he’ll need to loosely update its narrative to the contemporary United States (which is what he’s done, if word from test screenings is true, ).
It comes with little surprise that Anderson’s next film is a loose take on “Vineland,” as rumors about him adapting the book swirled last February. And the director has talked about adapting Pynchon’s novels for a decade now. Anderson first brought the book up in a 2014 Time Out interview. “I’d wanted to adapt Vineland,” but I never had the courage,” he said. “It Seems to be a great away to translate [Pynchon] into a movie.” The director also spoke to Rolling Stone about the novel around the same time. “I read “Vineland” a couple of months ago, and there were sections where I felt like I was just floating,” said Anderson, “I got a high out of it.”
However, “Vineland,” like all of Pynchon’s work, is a tough sell for a general audience. All of the novelist’s books hew to extreme headiness and are full of jaded, listless characters with wild names, eccentric humor, and Pynchon’s penchant for made-up bands and songs, complete with full lyrics. And “Inherent Vice” could hardly be called a box office hit. The 2014 film didn’t even recoup its budget at the box office, making just $14.3 million off a $20 million budget for Warner Bros. Now, Anderson’s new film has a $140 million budget and Leonardo DiCaprio as its star. How will it fare in comparison to “Inherent Vice”?
Both Warner Bros. and audiences will find out soon enough if the film keeps its August 8 theatrical release date. But before then, the movie needs an official title and some promotional media: a poster, a teaser, a full-length trailer, etc. But at least Anderson fans know that the rumors are true: his next film takes on “Vineland,” but in the loosest way possible.
