If you’ve got nostalgia for California in the 1970s, there might be no better director to capture that feeling than Paul Thomas Anderson, who recruited Bradley Cooper, rock star Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman (son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman) for his latest film, “Licorice Pizza.”
After only playing on 35mm film ahead of repertory screenings at a theater in London, the first trailer for “Licorice Pizza” finally dropped online on Monday. It comes after months of rumors and leaked set photos for PTA’s ninth feature, which for some time was thought to be titled “Soggy Bottom.”
The first trailer is set to the tune of David Bowie’s “Life on Mars,” and it shows Hoffman looking to become an actor in the ’70s and carrying on an unusual affair with Haim. Meanwhile, Cooper grills Hoffman about if he knows who his girlfriend is (Barbra Streisand, and he better pronounce it correctly).
Echoing his masterpiece “Boogie Nights,” Anderson’s “Licorice Pizza” is a coming-of-age drama about a teenager in San Fernando Valley who is pursuing a career as an actor. Here’s the official synopsis:
“Licorice Pizza” is the story of Alana Kane and Gary Valentine growing up, running around and falling in love in the San Fernando Valley, 1973. Written and Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the film tracks the treacherous navigation of first love.
Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim star in the lead roles. Bradley Cooper, “Uncut Gems” co-director Benny Safdie, Sean Penn and Tom Waits are all co-starring. And was that Maya Rudolph we saw with a quick cameo?
The name “Licorice Pizza” itself has ties to ’70s Los Angeles, as it borrows the name from a now-defunct record store that was seen in films like “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.”
Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures and Focus Features will release “Licorice Pizza” only in theaters through the United Artists banner. The film is in association with BRON Creative and is a Ghoulardi Film Company production.
Paul Thomas Anderson is also a producer, along with Sara Murphy and Adam Somner. Joanne Sellar, Daniel Lupi, Susan McNamara, Aaron L. Gilbert and Jason Cloth are executive producing.
Check out the first trailer above.