Sara Murphy on Producing “One Battle After Another”: Challenges, Beginnings, and Behind-the-Scenes Insights

One Battle After Another is a crime drama directed by Paul Thomas Anderson that centers on a morally-conflicted former revolutionary whose past resurfaces when a decades-old act of political violence comes back to haunt him, forcing him into a tense reckoning with loyalty, guilt, and survival in a modern America which he barely recognizes. The film blends Anderson’s signature character-driven intensity with noir influences and dark humor, unfolding as a rich story about ideology, consequence, family, and personal responsibility. The ensemble cast is led by Leonardo DiCaprio, alongside Regina Hall and Sean Penn. Over the course of his career, Anderson has received 11 Academy Award nominations, including multiple nods for Best Director (for There Will Be Blood, Phantom Thread, and Licorice Pizza) and Best Original Screenplay, though he has yet to win that elusive Oscar.

Producer Sara Murphy discusses the challenges encountered during the production of One Battle After Another. When asked which ones stand out, she points to a situation that unfolded in the fall of 2023, as the team was coming out of the WGA and SAG strikes.

Murphy recalls the extensive preparation involved — months of planning to coordinate a shoot that would span over 23 cities across the world. “We had been preparing for a long time and were very excited,” she says. As they approached the start of production, an unexpected complication arose involving Benicio Del Toro, the film’s lead. “We found ourselves in a bit of a competition with Benicio Del Toro, who was also scheduled to shoot Wes Anderson’s film, The Phoenecian Scheme. It became a question of which production would be ready first.”

Ultimately, Wes Anderson’s production was ready to move forward first. “Benicio had to leave to shoot that film in Europe while we were still in prep.” At that point, Murphy and her team were just two weeks away from beginning principal photography, but they decided to carry on with the film.

This triggered a strategic reorganization. The team built a seven week hiatus into the schedule, completely shutting down production to allow Benicio to fulfill his other commitment and then return to El Paso to film One Battle After Another. 

Sara Murphy. Photo by Jordan Strauss

While the decision caused significant disruption, it also brought unexpected benefits. Murphy notes that this pause allowed the team to assess what they had shot so far, make editorial decisions, and refine their approach for the main phase of filming.

The production even realized cost savings. The downtime allowed the post-production team to get a head start, eliminating inefficiencies and focusing the work that remained. Nevertheless, Murphy emphasizes the stress and uncertainty of the moment. “Paul Thomas Anderson had written the script specifically for Benicio. Recasting was not an option. The idea was dismissed immediately when brought up,” Murphy says.

During the hiatus, producer Adam Somner was diagnosed with cancer and later passed away. He had worked with Paul Thomas Anderson on his other films and wanted to see the One Battle After Another completed.

Sara started studying engineering in the University of Washington before realizing that becoming a film producer was her calling. She moved to New York and got a job as Philip Seymour Hoffman’s assistant for four years. The first movie that she got to work on was Capote, which led to other projects.

by Staff Writer

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