LOS ANGELES, March 15 (Reuters) – Paul Thomas Anderson won the directing Oscar on Sunday for “One Battle After Another,” an offbeat action movie that is also the frontrunner for best picture.
The dark comedy about a former revolutionary racing to save his kidnapped daughter, inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s novel “Vineland,” tackles hot-button topics like immigration, race relations and the outsized political power of billionaires.
It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro and Teyana Taylor, who were all nominated for their performances.
Anderson, 55, or “PTA” to fans, has carved out a rare career in Hollywood, making adult-oriented films outside the commercial mainstream that still manage to become box-office hits. “One Battle” was his most expensive movie to date but also his highest-grossing, taking in more than $200 million worldwide.
Anderson was previously nominated for directing “Licorice Pizza,” “Phantom Thread” and “There Will Be Blood,” and his screenplays for “Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia” and “Inherent Vice” won writing nominations.
(Writing by Nick Zieminski; Editing by Howard Goller)
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