When it comes to the career of Paul Thomas Anderson, one is never quite sure what to expect. His latest film, The Master, was altogether different than anything he’d previously done and for his next project, an adaptation of Thomas Pynchon‘s Inherent Vice, he hopes to make a film not far removed from “a Cheech and Chong movie.” But according to a recent interview with Moviehole, he wants to head even further in the comedy direction for a possible future project.
When asked about following the path of his partner and Bridesmaids star Maya Rudolph, the director said he is considering a “full blown comedy.” Of course, he still has the “daunting” task of actually writing such a film, but he says the time may be “soon, hopefully.” He also showed some appreciation for comedies new and old and you can ceck out his quite below.
I’d like to make a film like Airplane!. That never gets old. Or Ted. It was a big hit. Why? Because It’s great. Movies that are that big a hit are never f*cking bad. I mean, there’s no such… You know, people aren’t that stupid, that movie’s a hit because it’s hilarious. I hope [Seth MacFarlane] makes another film.
Anderson’s major studio tastes have never been hidden, even his recent admiration for what Christopher Nolan did with Batman, and while the helmer has always infused comedy in his work, to see him direct a flat-out entry in the genre would surely be something to behold. Perhaps if his next overtly comedic project does well, we could see him head into this territory. In the meantime, as The Master continues to expand, PTA actually unveiled 20 minutes worth of deleted scenes at the LACMA (which will be on the home release) and you can head over to /Film to read about the details.
Would you like to see PTA take on a “full blown comedy”?