It’s a few months delayed from its original intended start date, but Paul Thomas Anderson has now begun shooting his Phantom Thread follow-up, an ensemble feature set in the 1970s in San Fernando Valley. Akin to his previous film––where we first learned of the casting of Vicky Krieps in an on-set photo and not via a press release––the director has quietly kicked off production, as evidenced by a handful of set photos, ahead of any official announcement.
One of the first productions in Los Angeles to begin during the pandemic, in photos below snapped from the Encino set, one can see the first confirmed cast member Bradley Cooper, as well as the director, his crew, and even rumors that an unidentified HAIM sister has joined the ensemble. Postings from the set also confirm a rumor from a few months ago that the working title of the film is Soggy Bottom. (If one may recall, Phantom Thread was only the working title for his previous film, but PTA later said he couldn’t come up anything that fit better during post-production.)
With it being an ensemble film following multiple storylines, we still have yet to learn the casting of the main character––a high school student and successful child actor––or any other roles, but we imagine that news will follow quickly. As for Cooper, his role is reportedly that of “old-school producer or director who takes a liking to the boy.”
See the photos below from the MGM production, which began a week and half ago and is expected to last around three months entirely on location, according to intel from a Xixax forum member (in a now-deleted post) who visited the set and spoke to the crew.
For more on PTA, watch a recent 3.5-hour discussion with the cinematography team behind Phantom Thread.