Variety Details Changes in Paul Thomas Anderson's 'Vineland' Adaptation

Variety reported on September 26, 2025, on the substantive changes director Paul Thomas Anderson made in adapting Thomas Pynchon's 1990 novel 'Vineland' into his film 'One Battle After Another'. The film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn, is described as being "inspired by" the novel rather than a direct adaptation. While both stories feature a splintered family of former radicals, the film updates the setting from the 1980s to the present day.

wikipedia.org reported, Key alterations from the book include a more linear, chase-focused plot instead of the novel's digressive, flashback-heavy structure. Anderson also removed the book's supernatural elements, such as the "Thanatoids" who are caught between life and death. A significant character change involves casting a Black actress, Teyana Taylor, in the lead female role, which alters the motivations of the story's villain. The film, released by Warner Bros. on September 26, 2025, is Anderson's most expensive project to date.