Paul Thomas Anderson is a director that will always surprise you. The writer-director doesn’t stick to one genre with his films, and his characters are wildly different from film to film. That’s why it’s always interesting to see what the filmmaker has up his sleeve next. In a recent interview, Anderson talks about what he thinks he’ll get into now that “Phantom Thread” has been released.
In the discussion, he brings up this 600-page monster of a script that he has written. And when he’s asked what he will tackle next, he goes back to this mythical script. “What I will probably try to do next, foolishly, is go back to that 600-page thing that I have and try to see if there’s anything to carve out of it,” said Anderson.
However, the real question isn’t what the film is about (because no doubt, it’ll be great), but how does Anderson think he will be able to take a 600-page script and turn it into a two-hour film? Well, the answer might surprise you, but it also makes a ton of sense.
“I will probably try to daydream about what I know is in there and wonder how much I can get away with not looking at it and just write from what I know that’s in there that is good. Because when you go back into those 600 pages, it’s a briar patch isn’t it? Right? You start to see something, ‘well this is not a bad idea and maybe I should follow that thread?’ And the next thing you know, two hours later you really pissed the day away, right?” explains the filmmaker.
Whatever Paul Thomas Anderson is able to daydream about will probably be gold, as his track record suggests. But no matter what the content is, it’s interesting to have a peek inside the creative process of one of the film industry’s most acclaimed creators.