James Gunn Can’t Wait To See Paul Thomas Anderson’s New Movie

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James Gunn can't wait to see Paul Thomas Anderson's new movie, Licorice Pizza. Anderson is the acclaimed auteur behind films like Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love, There Will Be Blood, and The Master. His most recent film, The Phantom Thread, was released in 2017 and featured Daniel Day-Lewis' last performance before his unexpected retirement from acting the same year. Throughout the pandemic, Anderson has been working on his next film which stars two largely unknown leads in Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman. The supporting cast includes Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper, Benny Safdie, Maya Rudolph, Ben Stiller, and John C. Reilly.

On the other hand, James Gunn has become an auteur in his own right for his most recent film, The Suicide Squad, which was a hit with critics and audiences alike. This is not to mention his entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Guardians of the Galaxy and its 2017 sequel. Gunn also has a number of intriguing projects lined up such as Peacemaker, set to air on HBO Max in January of next year. His third and final Guardians film is set for a May 2023 release date but before that, a Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will air on Disney+ in December 2022.

In the meantime, Gunn is expressing his excitement for Paul Thomas Anderson's upcoming film, which recently released a trailer. In a tweet, the director linked to the trailer and admitted to being a "huge fan of PTA's" work and said he "absolutely can’t wait for Licorice Pizza." Check out Gunn's post below:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1442546148384800769

Gunn surely isn't the only one excited for Anderson's upcoming feature. Based on the trailer for Licorice Pizza, Anderson appears to be returning to his roots with a coming-of-age drama set in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley during the 1970s, which is the same time and place the filmmaker actually grew up and was the setting of his 1997 breakout film, Boogie Nights. Though plot details are scarce, Licorice Pizza follows a high school student (Hoffman) who is also a successful child actor.

While Anderson has tapped two relatively unknown actors as the film's leads, they are still two very intriguing castings. Making his acting debut is Cooper Hoffman, the son of the late great actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, a frequent collaborator of PTA's on films like Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love, and The Master. Alana Haim, who is known as one of three sisters who make up the band, Haim, is also making her feature film debut. Anderson has directed many of the band's music videos, so now it will be interesting to see that collaboration come to life on the big screen. It's nice to know that Gunn will be one of many enjoying PTA's latest work, Licorice Pizza, when it releases on November 26.