Paul Thomas Anderson's New Film Is Officially Called 'Licorice Pizza'
The follow-up to 'Phantom Thread' features Bradley Cooper, Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman and Maya Rudolph
Published Sep 10, 2021
Paul Thomas Anderson's Phantom Thread follow-up officially has a title — say goodbye to the previously reported Soggy Bottom and hello to the equally-unappetizing Licorice Pizza. A trailer for the anxiously awaited new film was shown yesterday morning before screenings of George Lucas's American Graffiti and Beavis and Butt-Head Do America at London's Prince Charles Cinema. Later that day, the trailer was shown again, this time at LA's New Beverly Theatre and the American Cinematheque.
What exactly the film is about is anyone's guess at the moment, but those in attendance tweeted that it looked like a "warm and generally grounded coming-of-age dramedy."
We do know that Licorice Pizza stars Bradley Cooper, Cooper Hoffman (the late Philip Seymour Hoffman's son), Benny Safdie, youngest Haim sister Alana, Maya Rudolph, Tom Waits and Skyler Gisondo.
The name's title most likely comes from Licorice Pizza, a record store chain founded in '70s California. Its namesake is an old Abbott and Costello routine that has the comedians unsuccessfully try to sell records ("Well, we could sprinkle cornstarch on the bottom and sell them as Licorice Pizzas").
Licorice Pizza will open in select theatres on November 26 before a wide release on December 25.
Check out some tweets from folks who saw the trailer below.
Saw a 35mm trailer for LICORICE PIZZA at the Aero tonight.
— Clay Keller (@claykeller) September 10, 2021
It's a great trailer! And the movie looks like a warm and generally grounded coming of age dramedy, but you can tell there will be ecstatic PTA movie moments. Also B Coops will get memed into oblivion.
They showed the Licorice Pizza trailer at the New Bev tonight before the second movie of the double feature, and the collective realization of what was happening was honestly pretty electric
— Harry Eskin (@harryeskin) September 10, 2021
I mean it's me trying to describe a memory of a trailer, so take it with a grain of salt, but: youth and its pangs in a bygone time, wistful, a little melancholy, a little silly, strong Valley presence, Cooper and Penn taking big offbeat swings
— Harry Eskin (@harryeskin) September 10, 2021