MGM Boards PTA's High School Movie As Focus Pulls Out

Good Friday --

Some news trickled in over the last few days which we are regrettably late to report in on:

Per THR, Focus Features is no longer backing PTA's upcoming, as-yet-untitled high school movie due to budgetary constraints. The project has consequently moved over to MGM, but there are no further details about when it might actually take flight for obvious reasons.

The move, at the very least, confirms the film is still alive. Its road to theatres, unfortunately, remains anybody's guess.

We'll circle back when more information is made available. In the meantime, hope you're hanging in there.

-
C&RV 

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PTA To Return To 1970s San Fernando Valley For Untitled High School Movie

Good morning, indeed!

Today's the day.

The Hollywood Reporter reports this morning that Paul Thomas Anderson has lined up his ninth feature film to begin production in early 2020. 

The as-of-yet-untitled picture is said to be centered around a child actor-cum-high school student in the San Fernando Valley in the 1970s, marking a return to a place and period PTA has covered so fondly and well over the years.

This tidbit from THR's story is notable as well:

Sources say casting is underway to find the lead and the project features a multitude of roles and could be ensemble in nature or have intersecting storylines.

More details will be dropped here as they are available.

Good morning, indeed!

-
C&RV 

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August 23, 2000

Archived update from Cigarettes & Coffee, run by Greg Mariotti & CJ Wallis from 1999-2005

I'm please to announce that PTA's next film should be the much talked about collaboration with Adam Sandler. The story was leaked by the Hollywood Reporter & you can read their comments below. There really are no specifics at this time (including a studio), but New Line seems the likely place based on Paul & Adam's history with the studio. Just remember that things can change at anytime & this is far from a done deal. I've been sworn to secrecy on this issue for many months, but I can tell you that PTA has been extremely busy writing the script specifically for Adam. I'm sure you've read the many comments that PTA has made about working with Adam (if not, see the Articles & Interviews section), so this shouldn't come as much of shock to anyone who reads the site. When I'm able to share more details, you'll hear it here.

Anderson, Sandler in talks to team up on comedy 

Paul Thomas Anderson and Adam Sandler are in discussions to join forces on a feature comedy project that Anderson wrote and will direct with Sandler possibly starring, sources said. The move seems very un-Anderson, considering that the filmmaker has been prone to three-hour dramatic epics, most recently "Magnolia." But sources said Anderson has been honing his comedic skills during the past year by writing for "Saturday Night Live" and recently finishing his comedy script. Now that the project is ready to find a home, New Line Cinema, which released Anderson's "Boogie Nights" and "Magnolia," will naturally get the first look. The studio also has a long-standing relationship with Sandler, who has a two-picture deal there.

Courtesy of the Hollywood Reporter - 8/23/00

In other casting news, Variety is reporting that Melora Walters will star in Rain for executive producer Martin Scorsese & director Katherine Lindberg. It centers on a woman who kills her husband & has an affair with a man who turns out to be her son she gave up for adoption. It's nice to see Melora get some attention as she was the standout (in my opinion) as Claudia in Magnolia. I'm still working on that interview with her & I will keep you posted on my progress.

Magnolia remained strong on the VHS rental chart for the week ending August 13th. It maintained its 5th place position, earning 5.52 million in weekly rental revenue. 

I'll return Friday with more exciting news to celebrate the Magnolia DVD release next week!

Interview: "Boogie Beat Putting Director In The Groove

Hollywood Reporter, Written By Martin Grove
October ??, 1997


"Boogie" business: With New Line's "Boogie Nights" having grossed about $150,000 through Thursday night at two theaters in New York in just five days, it's clearly a winner as it widens today to 30 theaters in 18 markets.

Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, "Boogie" was produced by Anderson, Lloyd Levin, John Lyons and Joanne Sellar with Lawrence Gordon executive producing. It stars Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds and Julianne Moore. The film, which New Line is distributing worldwide, cost only $15.5 million to make. It expands again Oct. 24 and goes wide Oct. 31 to about 1,000 more theaters.

"Paul's agent John Lesher (of UTA) called me and said he had this script he thought New Line, in particular, would respond to. He hadn't submitted it anywhere else. He's got pretty good taste, so I read it and just decided from that point that we should do the movie," Michael De Luca, president and chief operating officer of New Line Prods., told me.