Reese Witherspoon, Jena Malone And Martin Short Join Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice

I’d love to be in a room full of Paul Thomas Anderson and Thomas Pynchon fanatics and see if I can possibly count all of the conversations that fly over my head while I smile and nod.

Anderson’s adaptation of Pynchon’s shaggy dog mystery novel inherent Vice begins production this month, and reporting the casting news isn’t above my head at least. The Warner Bros. production has added three more big names to the cast, as Deadline reports Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon is now on board, and The Wrap adds that both Martin Short and Jena Malone have signed up.

Set in 1970, Inherent Vice will follow Doc Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix), a pot-smoking detective who investigates a case involving a kidnapped woman and finds himself involved in something much larger. Benicio Del Toro is playing Sportello’s lawyer and friend in need. Neither Witherspoon nor Short’s roles were described, but Malone will play a former drug addict in need of Sportello’s help. Owen Wilson will also be in the film in an as-yet-undisclosed role.

Witherspoon has a full slate of films coming, with Atom Egoyan’s West Memphis Three drama Devil’s Knot, Philippe Farlardeau’s Sudanese refugee drama The Good Lie, and Paul Feig’s Wish Listin varying stages of development. She’s currently starring in Jeff Nichols’ Mud.

Malone gained acclaim for her work in the Hatfields & McCoys miniseries, and will be seen by almost everyone in her role as Johanna Mason in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire this fall. Otherwise, she’s currently filming the adaptation of the Arthur Phillips intriguing ghost thriller Angelica, and has Michael C. Martin’s crime drama 10 Cent Pistol coming at some point this year.

Short has stuck to mostly voicework over the last few years with roles in Frankenweenie and Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, as well as being The Cat in the Hat in The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! series.

Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.