Though we don’t expect Spicoli to show up in Paul Thomas Anderson’s upcoming film about a kid growing up in Southern California during the ‘70s, social media is abuzz with a sighting of Sean Penn on the set of the filmmaker’s latest production, hinting that maybe the actor could be in the cast of the film.
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Yes, there’s a lot of mights, maybes, and coulds when talking about the recent set pictures that appeared on Twitter, showing Sean Penn and Paul Thomas Anderson on the set of his upcoming untitled film (seen below). The first thought that naturally comes to mind is, “Well, Sean Penn is definitely going to be in this cast!” And if so, that would make Anderson’s new film absolutely stacked, with Bradley Cooper, Benny Safdie (of the filmmaking duo), Cooper Hoffman (son of Philip Seymour Hoffman), and at least one of the Haim sisters already in the cast.
However, the reason we normally don’t report on set pictures is because none of this is even close to confirmed. Pictures of Penn and Anderson together don’t mean they’re working on something. Hell, actors and filmmakers visit other people’s sets all the time. That being said, in the post-pandemic world, where safety protocols are strictly enforced (or should be, at least), it would stand to reason that Penn isn’t there for a friendly chat, as that would be a hazard that production companies likely wouldn’t be willing to take. So, we’re going to assume this is legit.
READ MORE: Bradley Cooper To Star In Paul Thomas Anderson’s New 1970s SoCal Film
Of course, it’s not like we needed Sean Penn’s involvement to get excited about Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film. The filmmaker is easily one of the best American directors working today and it’s been almost three years since we’ve last seen a feature from him, after 2017’s Oscar-winning film, “Phantom Thread.” But with each new report, it’s becoming more and more apparent that Anderson is seemingly working on something really special right now, and we can’t wait.
