One Battle After Another: Paul Thomas Anderson’s Bold Turn to Blockbuster Action
Paul Thomas Anderson teams up with Leonardo DiCaprio for a high-octane adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland, marking a striking pivot for the acclaimed filmmaker.
Warner Bros. Pictures has unveiled the first trailer for One Battle After Another, an ambitious 2025 action thriller directed and written by Paul Thomas Anderson. Known for intimate character studies like There Will Be Blood and Licorice Pizza, Anderson now steps into blockbuster territory with a $130–175 million production that critics are already calling a “masterpiece.”
At the center of the film is Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob Ferguson, a former revolutionary forced to confront his past when his daughter is endangered. The trailer hints at explosive confrontations at the U.S.-Mexico border, blending personal stakes with political conflict. Supporting players include Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and rising star Chase Infiniti.
The project is especially notable as it adapts Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland, long considered “un-filmable” due to its dense prose and sprawling narrative. Anderson, no stranger to literary complexity, seems determined to prove otherwise with a 162-minute epic scored by frequent collaborator Jonny Greenwood.
Early reactions from select critics have been overwhelmingly positive, with the film currently boasting a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score and a 96% rating on Metacritic. Some reviewers are calling it a “generational home run,” framing it as both a creative triumph and a rare artistic blockbuster.
Production took place across California, with key scenes filmed in Humboldt County and Sacramento. These rugged landscapes lend authenticity to the story of ex-revolutionaries reuniting decades later, their clashes echoing unresolved battles from America’s political past.
The world premiere is scheduled for September 8, 2025, in Los Angeles, ahead of its nationwide theatrical release on September 26. Given the star power of DiCaprio, the prestige of Anderson, and the scale of Warner Bros.’ distribution, the film is poised to dominate the fall movie season.
For Anderson, One Battle After Another marks a career-defining experiment: a filmmaker celebrated for art-house sensibilities embracing the spectacle of IMAX-ready action. Whether this signals a new direction or a one-off venture, it’s clear the film has already carved out a place as one of 2025’s most anticipated releases.
