Paul Thomas Anderson's Next Film Being Shot On IMAX Stock

Paul Thomas Anderson talking during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live
(Image credit: Jimmy Kimmel Live/ ABC)

When it comes to the debate of IMAX vs. 3D, we here at Cinema Blend are staunchly in favor of the former. Managing to create what appears to be actual depth instead of artificial depth, IMAX is the most immersive format currently available for filmmakers. Some of the best action sequences from last year came courtesy of Brad Bird using 65mm print for scenes in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, and we can't wait to see what other filmmakers do with it. Take, for example, Paul Thomas Anderson, who is apparently filming parts of his next film in IMAX.

In a conversation with Brad Bird on Twitter, director Andrew Stanton confirmed that Anderson is using 65mm print for his next project, which has gone by the name of The Master (though it is currently untitled). Even more interesting, apparently Anderson even lost control of one of the rigs at one point, as Stanton said that they nearly lost a camera while "shooting in the Bay." Supposedly a commentary on L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology, Anderson's film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as a World War II veteran named Lancaster Dodd who returns to the states and founds his own religion, taking a drifter, named Freddie Sutton (played by Joaquin Phoenix), under his wing. But as the religion grows, Freddie begins to question Dodd's actual intent. The movie also stars Amy Adams, Laura Dern, Lena Endre, Rami Malek, Kevin J. O'Connor, and Jesse Plemons.

What's really fascinating about this story is that the logistics don't really seem to add up. In addition to being incredibly expensive (The Master barely got financed as it was), IMAX is notorious for being noisy and hard to maneuver. What this means for The Master is a mystery at this point, but we can't wait to see the results.

Eric Eisenberg
Assistant Managing Editor

Eric Eisenberg is the Assistant Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. After graduating Boston University and earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he took a part-time job as a staff writer for CinemaBlend, and after six months was offered the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and take on a newly created West Coast Editor position. Over a decade later, he's continuing to advance his interests and expertise. In addition to conducting filmmaker interviews and contributing to the news and feature content of the site, Eric also oversees the Movie Reviews section, writes the the weekend box office report (published Sundays), and is the site's resident Stephen King expert. He has two King-related columns.