Character Poster/Trailer #2 Arrives: Penny Kimball

A video posted by Inherent Vice (@inherentvicemovie) on Dec 12, 2014 at 5:08pm PST

"Inherent Vice" Novel Gets Groovy New Movie-Themed Cover

Via Entertainment Weekly, Penguin Publishing is rolling out a fantastic new cover for Thomas Pynchon's novel Inherent Vice with imagery from the movie.

Aaand a cool new still of Joaquin and Reese Witherspoon has also arrived:

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IV (theatrical premiere): 43 days

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First Look At Reese Witherspoon In "Inherent Vice"; Bigfoot Speaks More

The New Yorker

Hey there - few things to take care of, so let's get right to it.

-Above is a pretty groovy illustration from the most recent issue of The New Yorker for a piece about the New York Film Festival, which begins this Friday, September 26. Some critical thinking has led us to conclude that the two blue figures are from Gone Girl while the two green figures are from Inherent Vice.

- The one star of the film that has spoken rather freely about his impressions from the set is Josh Brolin, who plays Bigfoot Bjornsen, of course. He had some interesting things to say in a piece about the film found in The Los Angeles Daily News recently. The bullet points:

"I read the book as fast as I could before I saw Paul, which means I might as well have not read it," Brolin, 46, admits, "I was so confused by the time he came, I was like stuttering through the whole thing. It was like trying to have a meeting after you've taken a bong hit or something.

Brolin describes the story's vibe as something in "Manson territory."

"It's during the time of of the shattering of the ‘Right Stuff’ mentality into whatever revolution that conjures in you, whether that’s the assassinations or the sexual revolution or drugs, all that. It’s that transition," he says.

"This guy Bigfoot is one of the favorite characters I’ve ever played... He’s a guy that, five years earlier, would have looked like one of the ‘Right Stuff’ guys. But because of his refusal to adjust to any future that doesn’t look like he wanted it to look, he’s kind of pathetic.” 

"It’s a really circus experience,” Brolin says of the production. “It feels like traveling from city to city and putting together skits. You never really know if it’s going to work when you finally do it. And then if you’re doing something like Pynchon, which just naturally has that structure anyway, it’s sort of double wacky.” 

- Last, but certainly not least, The Film Stage has obtained our first look at Reese Witherspoon as Penny Kimball in Inherent Vice. Click below the fold and see at your own discretion.

Reese Witherspoon, Martin Short & Jena Malone Join ‘Inherent Vice'

Filming set to get underway on "Inherent Vice" in just under 2 weeks but despite a huge ensemble of around 25 players, we've only gotten word of a handful of actors attached so far: Joaquin Phoenix, Owen Wilson, Benicio Del Toro and Kevin J. O'Connor. Rumors have swirled in the last few weeks as to who would take the female lead. Charlize Theron had supposedly been interested in the part (and PTA likewise interested to work with her) but we posited back in February that would be out of the running due to her commitments to Seth MacFarlane's western and the highly anticipated adaptation of "Dark Places." It was also rumored that Kirsten Dunst (who PTA had recommended to Lars Von Trier for the part in "Melancholia") might be circling the role since she too had expressed an interest in working with PTA.

It would appear that both of those actresses are now out of the running as Deadline reports that Reese Witherspoon -- who's been picking up projects left and right these past few weeks -- has signed on. Though her role isn't specified, we're gonna take a leap here and say that she's probably going to be playing Shasta Fay Hepworth, Doc's (Phoenix) ex-girlfriend who sets the story in motion by asking for Doc’s help in investigating a plot and ends up going missing soon after. C&RV readers will recall that Witherspoon had previously been attached back in 2010 to the role of Peggy Dodd (back when the character's name was Mary Sue) in an earlier incarnation of "The Master" that never came to be. But it looks like PTA and Witherspoon will finally get to work together and also allow her to re-unite with her "Walk The Line" co-star Phoenix.

Update 9:55pm: In addition to Witherspoon, Jeff Sneider at The Wrap (who it should be noted has broken about 90% of the casting on this movie), reports that Martin Short and Jena Malone have also joined the film in supporting roles. Malone will play the part of Japonica Fenway, a free-spirited hippie chick who was the subject of Doc's first-ever paying case when she ran away from home. Short's role is still unclear but it's possible he could be playing Japonica's father Crocker Fenway, who hires Doc to investigage her disappearance or perhaps another role entirely. For those of you who have read the novel, who do you think Short might be playing? Sound off in the comments below. This is shaping up to be a really interesting cast seeing as only Phoenix and O'Connor have previously worked with PTA before. Filming on 'Vice' is set to get underway in the next few weeks so there should be lots more casting announcements to come. And if you're involved with the production, why don't you drop us a line?

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"The Master" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. 

The Master: Amanda Seyfried, Emma Stone, Deborah Ann Woll

The latest rumors regarding The Master are that Emma Stone (banner photo competition winner) Amanda Seyfried and Deborah Ann Woll have been offered roles in the film. And yes, it is taken from The Playlist:

More details on the potential cast for Paul Thomas Anderson's forthcoming untitled Scientology drama are surfacing as it gears up for a shoot this summer. Last week we reported that Reese Witherspoon had been offered the role of the Master's wife Mary-Sue, who acts as his caretaker and vigilant lieutenant. This week, the print edition of Production Weekly reveals that Amanda Seyfried, Emma Stone and Deborah Ann Woll are all being considered for the role of Elizabeth, The Master and Mary-Sue's daughter.

We reviewed the script for the film that was floating around earlier this year and while the role of the daughter is a small one (though that could've changed), it also does have some pretty salacious bits (that we won't spoil here) which will be an eye opener for any fans of the actress who lands the role.

So who will land it? It's hard to say. Seyfried seems like least likely candidate only because she is set to shoot Catherine Hardwicke's "Girl With The Riding Hood" this summer and depending on when Anderson's film goes in front of cameras, scheduling alone could take her out of the running. Emma Stone has been looking to break out of comedic roles, most recently adding the period based, racial drama "The Help" to her upcoming slate. She would be an interesting fit for the role and it would definitely add something very different to her resumé. Finally, there's Deborah Ann Woll, best known for her role as Jessica on "True Blood." She doesn't have much feature film experience (well, she has roles in three films that are awaiting release) but she's capable, and from a purely financial aspect, probably the most budget friendly to join the $35 million dollar picture.

All this said, while the actresses are said to be "choices" for the role its unclear at this time if any offers have been made. Our guess would be they've all read or tested in some capacity but obviously, decisions are still pending. For now, the only confirmed cast members remain Philip Seymour Hoffman in the role of The Master and Jeremy Renner as Freddie Sutton, his troubled protegé. Frankly, those two could could go on screen and re-enact "Baby Geniuses" and we'd watch it, so whoever Anderson gets to surround them is icing on the cake. 

Mary-Sue played by Reese Witherspoon

Bam. The Playlist has another interesting rumor regarding The Master now saying an offer has been made to Reese Witherspoon to play Phil Hoffman's wife. Blockquotes:

Things have been pretty quiet on the Paul Thomas Anderson front and his new untitled religion picture, affectionately known as "The Master" by fans.

 

Loosely -- or not so loosely -- based on the life of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard (read our review of a very early draft of the script), we know that Philip Seymour Hoffman will play the messianic lead, Jeremy Renner will play Freddie Sutton, the drifter character that becomes The Master's right hand man, and we know that Universal passed on the project and River Road is footing the bill (the company that produced Terrence Malick's "Tree Of Life" and Doug Liman's "Fair Game"; Honcho Bill Pohlad is also an investor in distributor Apparition, so don't be surprised if the film ends up there).



Now comes a few more details from the latest issue of Production Weekly. According to their intel, Reese Witherspoon has been offered a role in the picture and the production is eyeing a June start date. 

Producing is John Lesher, Pohlad and Jo Anne Sellar.

 June is next week if it actually starts on the first. Could the production really be this ready to go and no one's really reported that yet? 

Zero further details are given, but we would assume that if Witherspoon takes a role, it's that of the Master's daughter wife Mary-Sue, who acts as his caretakers and vigilant lieutenant. 

Witherspoon is also attached to McG's "This Means War," which is supposed to start shooting in July, so that could be a potential conflict if she even agrees to the role (she's also currently shooting "Water For Elephants"). However, all of the daughters' roles in the draft that floated around earlier this year were pretty tiny. 

Sure, it was an early script and things must have certainly changed, but we can't imagine it's been completely deconstructed.

There is one small role of a prostitute who also hooks up with Renner's character, but that role, while reoccurring throughout, does feel pretty small too. 

Witherspoon can be pretty commanding when she needs to be -- her company is called Type A productions after all -- and some have joked she's not that far removed from the Tracy Flick character she portrayed in "Election," so we think she would be pretty good for the key daughter who oversees her father's business and best interests.

 

But again, it is just an offer. She could easily turn it down, there were some salacious bits with the daughter in that early draft, we'll just have to wait and see and hope this report uncovers more info.