Audiences have had to wait four years between “One Battle After Another” and writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s last project, “Licorice Pizza.” But that doesn’t mean they haven’t seen anything from him in the meantime.
It has long been rumored that Anderson did rewrites from two 2023 movies from legendary filmmakers: Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” and Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon.” In an interview with Dazed, published Wednesday, Anderson confirmed this was indeed the case.
“I love to contribute in any way I can if somebody reaches out for help,” Anderson said. “Both of those things were a thing with Joaquin (Phoenix), a thing with Leo (DiCaprio), and obviously with Marty and Ridley. It’s always a privilege to say, ‘Let me tell you my thoughts on the script.’”
These projects marked a reunion and a pre-union for Anderson. Joaquin Phoenix, who starred as the titular French ruler in “Napoleon,” served as Anderson’s lead actor in his back-to-back films “The Master” and “Inherent Vice.” Leonardo DiCaprio, meanwhile, stars in “One Battle After Another.” Anderson and DiCaprio nearly worked together decades earlier on “Boogie Nights” as well, but that part eventually went to Mark Wahlberg, with DiCaprio opting for “Titanic” instead.
“Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Napoleon,” are both historical epics for Apple TV+, released after long roads to production. Scorsese wrote “Flower Moon” with screenwriter Eric Roth, working off of David Grann’s book of the same name. DiCaprio was initially set to star as Thomas Bruce White Sr. (a role that eventually went to Jesse Plemons), with the film focusing more on the Bureau of Investigation than the perspective of the Osage Nation. This version of the story would have been more in line with Grann’s book.
“Napoleon,” meanwhile, was written by David Scarpa after he collaborated with Scott on “All the Money in the World.” Phoenix, who starred as Napoleon, was reportedly dissatisfied with early drafts of the script and threatened to leave the project if Anderson didn’t come on for a rewrite. Scott would later release a 205-minute director’s cut of the film on Apple TV+.
Anderson referenced other directors he has had influential relationships with — Robert Altman, Jonathan Demme, and Robert Downey Sr. — all of whom influenced his career. Altman’s influence is particularly profound, with Anderson serving as a standby director on his final film, “A Prairie Home Companion.”
“They made me feel encouraged and confident,” Anderson said of the directors.
