Leonardo DiCaprio’s next film could be his best yet

Leonardo DiCaprio has worked with many master filmmakers during his time and he is adding to his repertoire with his newest collaboration with Paul Thomas Anderson.

The actor and director are working on a crime drama reportedly titled The Battle of Baktan Cross, a contemporary film that is said to be the There Will Be Blood auteur's "most commercial" project yet, per Deadline. DiCaprio is joined in the cast by Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, and Regina Hall, and filming has started on the production since it was first announced back in January.

DiCaprio always has a keen eye when it comes to picking his projects, having earned the right to be choosy about his roles after his early rise to fame, and The Battle of Baktan Cross could prove to be his best role yet.

Little is known about The Battle of Baktan Cross but Anderson’s past filmography means that hopes are high for the production. From 1999’s Magnolia to his Oscar-winning There Will Be Blood, Anderson has always had a unique vision in film that makes him stand out from the crowd.

Per a report from Film Stories, it is believed that the movie is an adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland. If it is, it would be the second adaptation of Pynchon's work that Anderson has done after Inherent Vice.

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It would also mean that DiCaprio could be portraying ex-hippie Zoyd Wheeler, who goes on the run from federal agent Brock Vond. If that does indeed turn out to be the case then it'd be quite a different role for the actor to take on.

The Romeo + Juliet star rarely puts a foot wrong, and in recent years has been more selective on who he works with and on what project. DiCaprio has, of course, become a muse for Martin Scorsese but he has also worked with the likes of Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Quentin Tarantino, and Christopher Nolan.

Some of his most recent films have regularly led to him being nominated for Oscars, including The Wolf of Wall Street and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but it was his performance in Iñárritu's survival drama The Revenant that led him to that much sought after Oscar (and broke the internet in the process).

Anderson has brought several actors awards glory in the past, most famously Daniel Day-Lewis for his portrayal of oil man Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood. The director's follow-up films —The Master Inherent Vice, and Licorice Pizza— also received nominations at the Academy Awards, which means expectations are high for The Battle of Baktan Cross to do the same.

Only time will tell what can be expected from DiCaprio's latest film, but given the actor's prolific acting work throughout his career it is sure to be a treat and, hopefully, his best role yet.

The Battle of Baktan Cross is set to be released on 8 August, 2025.