Is ‘One Battle After Another’ Based on a True Story? Inside the Leonardo DiCaprio’s Latest Film

The wait is finally over, as Leonardo DiCaprio and director Paul Thomas Anderson’s highly anticipated first project together is hitting theaters. One Battle After Another is already being hailed by many critics as one of the best films of 2025 and a front-runner for awards season.

However, before the film officially premieres, fans may want to know if the project is based on a true story or entirely a work of fiction. Let’s find out the details.

No, the film is not based on a true story. However, it is inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel, Vineland, per Forbes. Paul Thomas Anderson noted that it has taken 20 years for his cinematic vision of the novel to come into fruition, but it was worth the wait.

"We have our premise, we have our story points, we have our characters, but there has to be room for discovery within reason,” he told the outlet.

“You can't get out there and hope and cross your fingers that you're going to find something, but we had found enough foundation and enough emotional plot work to get to currency, to get gambling, to go to the table and start playing," he continued.

One Battle After Another centers on Leo’s character Bob Ferguson, who is a paranoid revolutionary living off-grid with his daughter. Almost 20 years later, his rival Col. Steven J. Lockjaw, played by Sean Penn, resurfaces at the same time that Bob’s daughter goes missing — leading him on a quest to find her and confront his past.

Speaking with Rolling Stone Philippines, the Academy Award winner shared why his character Bob is not the typical hero seen in films. “This is not a typical hero’s story,” he said. “My character, Bob, had within him that ability to protect what he loves and to fight for what he loves, but he’s lost that.”

“This whole film is about him trying to rediscover that,” Leo continued. “It’s about trying to be fearless in an age where we are riddled with fear and constantly silenced, but coming out of our shells.”

When asked why he finally decided now was the right time to work with Paul, Leo explained that he has been a fan since the start of the director’s career, while also revealing that he passed on the lead role in his 1997 classic film, Boogie Nights.

“To do this film with Paul is very special,” Leo shared. “I’ve been wanting to work with him for 20-some-odd years now, and to be able to do a film about this subject at this point in time is very meaningful to me.”

“He’s a filmmaker that as a writer-director has been such a unique and profound voice of his generation, and is one of the great filmmakers of his time,” he told the outlet. “I’ve known about him ever since I saw Hard Eight many years ago, and we had talks early on about Boogie Nights, so I’ve watched his incredible career blossom.”