It looks like Reese Witherspoon is quite eager to reunite with her Walk the Line crew. The Oscar winner recently signed on to star in Walk the Line director James Mangold’s memoir adaptation Three Little Words, and now she’s joining Joaquin Phoenix in writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s adaptation of the Thomas Pychon novel Inherent Vice. Set in 1970 Los Angeles, the film follows a pot-smoking private investigator (Phoenix) as he investigates the alleged kidnapping of a woman he used to date. Deadline reports Witherspoon’s casting, but has no details regarding her role in the film.
Witherspoon is just the latest A-lister to sign on to Anderson’s The Master follow-up, as the filmmaker is assembling a stellar ensemble that thus far includes Benicio Del Toro and Owen Wilson. As production is gearing up to begin soon, expect to hear more casting news in the coming weeks. [Update: The Wrap adds two new cast members. Jena Malone is expected to play a former drug addict who asks Phoenix's private eye for help—Martin Short has been cast in an unspecified role.] Hit the jump to read a synopsis for the book.
Here’s a synopsis for Inherent Vice:
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 era
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. [Amazon]
