Leonardo DiCaprio, Regina Hall and Teyana Taylor took the stage at CinemaCon to discuss One Battle After Another, the upcoming big swing film from filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson.
In the comments during Warner Bros.‘ presentation, DiCaprio heralded Anderson after their first feature collaboration. “I’ve been wanting to work for Paul for over 20 years now,” the star said. “He’s one of the most unique talents of our time.”
DiCaprio added, “With this film, he has tapped into something politically and culturally that is brimming beneath our psyche.” The actor said the cast was grateful to “improvise and become our own characters.” He continued, “His ability to work with actors is so unique and bar none.”
Hall added, “What was so incredible was how collaborative the process was.”
Taylor shared about her character, “She’s a mess. But one thing about her is, she loves very hard.” The actress added that her character “is just not likable. She’s got a lot going on.”
Warner Bros. then revealed previously unseen footage, including DiCaprio losing his cool during a phone conversation. “I’m a drug and alcohol lover,” his character says in the clip. “I will hunt you down and stick a loaded piece of dynamite in your fucking asshole.”
Warner Bros. releases the black comedy movie in theaters on Sept. 26. Rounding out the cast are Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro and Chase Infiniti.
One Battle After Another centers on a group of former revolutionaries who reconnect to help their member Bob Ferguson (DiCaprio) find his daughter.
Anderson helmed the film from his own script. He serves as a producer alongside Sara Murphy and Adam Somner.
The Hollywood Reporter previously reported that One Battle After Another is said to be an exploration of Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland and carries a budget of more than $130 million. The movie’s release date was recently pushed to Sept. 26 after previously having been scheduled to hit theaters Aug. 8.
A previously released trailer includes DiCaprio imploring Del Toro, “I need you, brother. Sensei, Sensei, Sensei, please.” Del Toro replies, “Courage, Bob. Courage.” This leads a perplexed DiCaprio to respond, “That’s it? Courage. Yeah.”
Anderson’s most recent feature was 2021’s Licorice Pizza, which landed three Oscar nominations, including best picture.
CinemaCon is the annual event for exhibitors and Hollywood studios that runs this year from March 31 to April 3. It is presented by Cinema United (formerly the National Association of Theatre Owners).
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