PTA Says ‘Inherent Vice' Is Next; Compares It To ‘Cheech & Chong'

It was a big news weekend for all things Paul Thomas Anderson as "The Master" had its official debut at the Venice Film Festival. We were out of town during the madness and tried to keep up with it as best we could but in case you weren't following along with us on Twitter, here's a rundown of what you missed.

Paul confirmed (for the first time) that he is indeed adapting Thomas Pynchon's "Inherent Vice" and spoke about the project to both Empire and ScreenDaily in interviews (via The Playlist). To refresh your memory, the logline for the 2010 novel reads like this (via Amazon).

Pynchon's deceptively lighthearted stab at detective fiction is a lazy jog through the brambles of stoned late '60s Southern California, with a half-cocked private eye named Doc Sportello, who specializes more in meandering than actual investigating. Freaks and straights talk past each other, their meanings eluding all attempts at mutual comprehension, and Ron McLarty channels Doc's slurred mumble expertly and vividly brings to life the novel's sun-soaked, druggy ambience.

Speaking to ScreenDaily Paul said the following about his next project.

Would you want to shoot your next film using the same format?

It would depend on the story. It would be tempting to do it again. It’s a lovely format. The camera is as big as a table. It’s loud, too. You can hear it in the movie. It’s like a fan at times.

What’s next?

I’m hoping we can get Inherent Vice going soon. That’s what I’m writing now. It’s taking my mind of this, actually. It’s a lot of fun. It’s such a different piece, though. It’s nice to have a collaborator, as it were, through working on the book.

Are you in touch with Thomas Pynchon?

I try to communicate with the book, mainly.

Speaking to Empire he offered a few more details, describing it as being "like a Cheech and Chong movie. [Adapting Pychon's work is] just gonna be great and, hopefully, fun."

But although Anderson has been working on bringing the Gravity Rainbow author's most accessible work to the big screen for several years, it's not clear exactly when it will happen: “Hopefully not long. I'd like to have a few years of being more productive. But we'll see.”

As for the difficulty in adapting the reclusive writer's novel, Anderson admits it's not going to be easy. “There's so much. But it's fun too, be because they're his words, and... it's like taking your dad's car for a ride, y'know?”

Does this mean Anderson has met the famously publicity-shy author yet? "If I told you I'd have to kill you. Because Thomas Pynchon... You know who he is? Terry Malick.”

Sounds like another total left turn for Paul and we can't wait to see what he does with it. If anyone is curious to read the novel, you can find a link to it on our restored PTA's (DVD) Picks page for your convenience. It's hard to believe we're already talking about another PTA film when his latest has yet to hit the screen but we're not complaining. Supposedly the film is already financed by Annapurna Pictures, the production company who were the saviors of "The Master." And he has been working on it since at least December of 2010, so hopefully we'll see something sooner rather than later.

Speaking of sooner than later, we should have another post coming up for you guys in a bit with tons more "The Master" news from Venice including reviews, interviews, press conference video + a transcript and much more. Stay tuned.

#THEMASTER70MM 

See when "The Master" is playing at a theatre near you.

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.