Paul Thomas Anderson is returning to high school (and the San Fernando Valley) for his next film

By Randall Colburn | November 12, 2019 | 3:14pm

Aux Features Film

Paul Thomas Anderson is returning to high school (and the San Fernando Valley) for his next film

Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer

After unpacking the haute luxuries of 1950s London with 2017's Phantom Thread, the great Paul Thomas Anderson will jump ahead a few decades for a decidedly different period tale. His latest film, per The Hollywood Reporter, evokes one of the defining films of one of his contemporaries, Richard Linklater, in that it’s a ‘70s-set high school story with a massive ensemble.

But while Dazed And Confused was set in Linklater’s Texas stomping grounds, Anderson’s will be set in the San Fernando Valley scene where he came of age. Per THR, Anderson’s story, which he is writing in addition to directing and producing, will center around a student who’s also a successful child actor. The project is enticing, as the concept stands in stark contrast to the cruel, larger-than-life men who led films like There Will Be Blood, The Master, and Phantom Thread.