Paul Thomas Anderson May Adapt Thomas Pynchon’s INHERENT VICE; Agency Wants Robert Downey Jr. to Star
by Matt Goldberg Posted: December 2nd, 2010
Now that Paul Thomas Anderon’s The Master has been postponed indefinitely, what will the acclaimed filmmaker turn his attention to now? According to Vulture, Anderson is interested in adapting the Thomas Pynchon novel Inherent Vice. The book follows “Larry ‘Doc’ Sportello, a pothead private eye wandering through the Summer (and winter) of Love in 1969 Los Angeles.” Anderson is reportedly writing a treatment and may have even started in on the script.Anderson’s agency, Creative Artists, is considering trying to get Robert Downey Jr. to play Sportello, but Vulture’s source cautions that there’s currently no official involvement with the actor and his schedule is packed until November 2011 anyway. While I’m a fan of Downey, I’m also a huge fan of Anderson and want to see him get to work on a new film sooner rather than later. Hit the jump for a synopsis of Inherent Vice.
Here’s the synopsis for Inherent Vice [via Amazon]:
Part noir, part psychedelic romp, all Thomas Pynchon- private eye Doc Sportello surfaces, occasionally, out of a marijuana haze to watch the end of an erahttp://www.collider.com/2010/12/02/paul-thomas-anderson-inherent-vice-robert-downey-jr/
In this lively yarn, Thomas Pynchon, working in an unaccustomed genre that is at once exciting and accessible, provides a classic illustration of the principle that if you can remember the sixties, you weren’t there.
It’s been a while since Doc Sportello has seen his ex-girlfriend. Suddenly she shows up with a story about a plot to kidnap a billionaire land developer whom she just happens to be in love with. It’s the tail end of the psychedelic sixties in L.A., and Doc knows that “love” is another of those words going around at the moment, like “trip” or “groovy,” except that this one usually leads to trouble. Undeniably one of the most influential writers at work today, Pynchon has penned another unforgettable book.
