Often hailed as the best writer-director of his generation by critics and fans alike, Paul Thomas Anderson is back with his 9th feature film, which is gearing towards a 2021 holiday release. He’s been compared to contemporary filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino and David Fincher as well as his filmmaking idols Stanley Kubrick and Robert Altman, to name a few.

It’s been four years since his prior effort Phantom Thread, which was Daniel Day-Lewis’ final film, and garnered several Academy Award nominations.

The film, which was rumored to have the working title Soggy Bottom, though United Artists Releasing has denied it, began filming last fall in Los Angeles. It’s a coming-of-age story set in the San Fernando Valley, which is where Anderson grew up, and it is also the location of his second feature and break-out film Boogie Nights. 

It stars Bradley Cooper as a film director, Cooper Hoffman (son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, one of PTA’s frequent collaborators) as a child actor, and Benny Safdie as a politician running for office. It’s also Hoffman’s feature debut.

As reported by Variety, Anderson wrote the script and produced the picture with Sara Murphy. The project is backed by MGM, in association with Bron Creative and Anderson’s Ghoulardi Film Company.

Though not known for box office smashes, PTA’s films are always critically acclaimed and gain passionate cult followings from film buffs around the world. We’ll see if the industry decides to honor one of the top working filmmakers this coming award season.

Anderson’s film will open in limited release on November 26th, Thanksgiving weekend, and expand nationwide on Christmas Day.