Paul Thomas Anderson, celebrated for his critically acclaimed 2025 film One Battle After Another, surprised many by venturing into action cinema for the first time with this tenth feature. Garnering widespread praise and collecting four Golden Globes, the movie is now a frontrunner at the upcoming Academy Awards, potentially earning Anderson his first ‘Best Director’ statuette. Still, decades before this breakthrough, Anderson explored an entirely different genre in a script that remained unseen—a Paul Thomas Anderson action movie that might have transformed his career had it been made.
The Origins and Transformation of Anderson’s Early Script
Before his well-known films, Anderson wrote a script in 1993 when he was just 23, during the wave of neo-noir influence following Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. Karyn Rachtman, a veteran Hollywood music supervisor closely connected to Anderson’s early work and known for securing iconic tracks like Stealers Wheel’s
“Stuck in the Middle with You”
for Tarantino’s film, revealed this surprising fact. Anderson’s initial draft was an action story featuring characters named Barry and Lena, similar to those in the final version of his 2002 film Punch-Drunk Love.
However, in this early take, Barry was not the nervous, awkward toilet plunger salesman from Punch-Drunk Love, but a criminal performing dangerous tasks for a ruthless gangster. Lines of dialogue and character names carried over between drafts, including dark moments where Barry recounts violent acts involving his lover. The contrast between the early script’s violent tone and the quirky romance of the eventual film highlights how much the project evolved.
From Action Thriller to Offbeat Romance: A Creative Evolution
The final version of Punch-Drunk Love, released in 2002 after Anderson had already made three other films, reflects near a decade of rewriting and rethinking. Whether Anderson believed the earlier, action-oriented style was outdated or simply shifted his vision, the decision to transform the script illustrates how creative works can dramatically change form over time. This metamorphosis from an action thriller to an ‘anti-romance’ drama reveals Anderson’s willingness to reshape his storytelling to better suit his artistic goals.
The Lasting Impact of Anderson’s Early Action Script
The lost Paul Thomas Anderson action movie provides a fascinating glimpse into what might have been. Although it remains unproduced, the script’s influence is felt within Anderson’s later work, proving that initial ideas are rarely wasted but often waiting for the right moment or context to flourish. While imagining how an Anderson-directed action film inspired by Tarantino might appear is intriguing, the success and artistic depth of his final output, including Punch-Drunk Love and One Battle After Another, affirm that the changes were ultimately worthwhile.
“Yes, Punch-Drink Love, the wacky ‘anti-romance’ drama that proved to the world that Adam Sandler wasn’t completely useless, was originally going to be an action movie.” – Karyn Rachtman, Music Supervisor
“Some of the character names carry over, and a fair few lines of dialogue show up in both versions too, including a grim bit where Barry talks about caving in his lover’s face with a sledgehammer.” – Karyn Rachtman, Music Supervisor
