Paul Thomas Anderson has got perhaps the most impressive inner circle in Hollywood, what with regular collaborators like Daniel Day-Lewis, Joaquin Phoenix, and Julianne More, among a slew of others. And as if the galley of actors who’ve taken a shine to working with the storied filmmaker weren’t enough, he’s also gotten in good with the collected members of one of the most iconic rock bands of the modern era, Radiohead. The latest venture that unites their talents is a mysterious and exciting new short film project that PTA will work on with the band’s frontman Thom Yorke.
The news hit the web on June 20, when Yorke himself tweeted the following, appropriately enigmatic message:
ANIMA, also a one-reeler by Paul Thomas Anderson & me. 27 June. pic.twitter.com/q8d4P2kDWA
— Thom Yorke (@thomyorke) June 20, 2019
As such, all we know about the project is that it’ll be called Anima, it’ll comprise one reel of film, and it’ll be ours for the enjoying on June 27—just a week out from the announcement, which is quite a relief given how long we had to wait for “Burn the Witch.” On said date, the project will make its debut on Netflix, although the above tweet teases a preview in select IMAX theaters one day prior. Frankly, that’s more than enough information needed to get us pretty pumped about this latest collaboration between these most talented of creative minds.
To date, Anderson has directed music videos and promos for Radiohead, likewise a documentary about guitarist/keyboardist Jonny Greenwood’s musically inclined travels through Rajasthan, India; further, PTA has enlisted Greenwood to compose the scores for such films as There Will Be Blood, The Master, Inherent Vice, and Phantom Thread.
In addition to his feature work, Anderson has also built up quite a résumé of music video directing, and not limited to collaborations with Radiohead. In the late ’90s and early 2000s, Anderson directed videos for the likes of Fiona Apple, Aimee Mann, and Jon Brion. More recently, Anderson has teamed with Joanna Newsom and Haim on video projects.
Image: XL Recordings