Paul Thomas Anderson has reportedly done some work on the script for Martin Scorsese’s What Happens at Night
I really need to circle back to the works of Paul Thomas Anderson. The guy came along in the mid-’90s and rocked my world with Hard Eight and Boogie Nights. There was a stretch of time when I considered Magnolia to be my favorite film. I loved Punch-Drunk Love and There Will Be Blood. But then things fell apart for me in the PTA department. I missed The Master during its theatrical run and have never gotten around to watching it. I was disappointed by Inherent Vice and still haven’t seen Phantom Thread. I did watch and enjoy Licorice Pizza, but haven’t gotten to One Battle After Another yet. I’ve been out of the loop, and completely missed out on the fact that PTA has been doing script doctor work on some major projects in recent years – the latest being What Happens at Night, which director Martin Scorsese is currently working on.
Industry scooper Jeff Sneider of The InSneider reported, “I have confirmed with insiders that Paul Thomas Anderson rewrote Patrick Marber’s script for What Happens at Night, the new Apple movie pairing Leonardo DiCaprio and director Martin Scorsese. The extent of PTA’s involvement remains unclear, as is whether he’ll receive a credit on the film, but he definitely had a hand in refining the script at DiCaprio’s request. This isn’t a case of, ‘What Happens at Night is in big trouble! They had to bring in PTA to fix the script!’ Hardly. This is Anderson doing a creative favor for a friend — not a page-one rewrite of Marber, who earned an Oscar nomination for adapting Notes on a Scandal and is also a Tony-winning playwright and theater director, mind you.“
Doctor Anderson
Sneider’s report also revealed to me that PTA was a script doctor on two major 2023 releases: Ridley Scott’s Napoleon and Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. This fact has been acknowledged in interviews, but it was news to me.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Joaquin Phoenix had even “threatened to leave Napoleon unless Paul Thomas Anderson was brought in to do rewrites. Placated, he stayed aboard the project, and it arrived in theaters late last year.” Scott told The New York Times, “Tommy was doing Licorice Pizza, advising me how to do Napoleon. It turned into a lot of fun, actually. Three of us in this room screaming with laughter.” Despite this, David Scarpa is the only credited writer on Napoleon.
The extent of the work PTA did on Killers of the Flower Moon hasn’t been discussed, but some fans theorize he did a substantial rewrite of the script by Scorsese and Eric Roth. When Dazed asked him about the projects, he said, “I love to contribute in any way I can if somebody reaches out for help. Both of those things were a thing with Joaquin [Phoenix], a thing with Leo, and obviously with Marty and Ridley. It’s always a privilege to say, ‘Let me tell you my thoughts on the script.’“
Yeah, I guess it’s about time that I watch The Master, Phantom Thread, One Battle After Another, Napoleon, and Killers of the Flower Moon.
What Happens at Night
Based on a novel by Peter Cameron (pick up a copy HERE), What Happens at Night is said to be a dream-like story of a married American couple who travel to a small, snowy European town to adopt a baby. They check into a cavernous, largely deserted hotel where they encounter an enigmatic cast of characters, including a flamboyant chanteuse, a depraved businessman and a charismatic faith healer. Nothing is quite as it seems in this strange, frozen world. As the couple struggles to claim their baby, the less they seem to know about themselves and the life they’ve built together.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Jared Harris, Mads Mikkelsen, and Patricia Clarkson star. Filming is currently underway in the Czech Republic, with support from the Czech Film Commission.
Apple is working in association with StudioCanal on the film. Scorsese also produces, and the executive producers on the movie include Lisa Frechette and Marianne Bower for Sikelia, Jennifer Davisson for Appian Way, and Justine Ciarrocchi for Excellent Cadaver.
What do you think of Paul Thomas Anderson doing some script doctor work on What Happens at Night, after doing the same for Napoleon and Killers of the Flower Moon? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
The post Paul Thomas Anderson has reportedly done some work on the script for Martin Scorsese’s What Happens at Night appeared first on JoBlo.