The Battle of Baktan Cross

Last updated

The Battle of Baktan Cross
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Written byPaul Thomas Anderson
Produced by
Starring
Music by Jonny Greenwood
Production
company
Ghoulardi Film Company
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • August 8, 2025 (2025-08-08)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$115–140 million [1] [2]

The Battle of Baktan Cross is an upcoming American crime drama thriller film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Regina Hall, Sean Penn, Alana Haim, Teyana Taylor, Wood Harris, and Benicio del Toro. [3]

Contents

The film is scheduled to be released on August 8, 2025, by Warner Bros. Pictures. [4]

Cast

Production

In June 2023, Paul Thomas Anderson's film, rumored to star Regina Hall, Viggo Mortensen and Joaquin Phoenix, found its home at Warner Bros. Pictures. [5] In January 2024, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, and Hall were confirmed to star. [6] In February 2024, Alana Haim, Teyana Taylor, Wood Harris, Shayna McHayle, and Chase Infiniti joined the cast. [7] DiCaprio earned $20 million for his involvement. [1] Principal photography began in California on January 22, 2024. [8] [9] [10] The film, under the working title BC Project, filmed for eleven days across Humboldt County in Arcata, Cutten, Eureka, and Trinidad. [11] On February 3, production moved to Sacramento, with filming at the Sacramento County Administration Building and Sacramento County Courthouse. [12] Some controversy was garnered when a homeless encampment was cleared to allow for filming. [13] On-location filming also took place in El Paso, Texas, in June 2024. [14] The film was shot on 35 mm film using VistaVision cameras. [15]

In February 2024, Variety listed the production budget as $115 million. [1] In August 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported the budget to be "more than $140 million", noting that Anderson's highest-grossing film, There Will Be Blood (2007), only made $76 million, but that "Warner executives say DiCaprio's box-office track record justifies the budget for Anderson". [2] That month, sources indicated the film had been titled The Battle of Baktan Cross. Rumors also circulated that it was loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon's Vineland (1990), Anderson having previously adapted Pynchon's Inherent Vice (2009) into a film. [16] [17] Jonny Greenwood will compose the film's score, marking the sixth feature film collaboration between him and Anderson. [18]

Release

The film will be released on August 8, 2025, and will be the first of Anderson's films to be released in IMAX. [4]

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