Tasked with spreading around the testosterone so Martin Short doesn’t stand out like some sort of alpha-male sore thumb, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice is in talks to bring Josh Brolin and Sean Penn aboard its already-sprawling cast. As you may recall, the adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s detective novel already boasts his largest ensemble of famous faces since Magnolia, with Joaquin Phoenix, Benicio Del Toro, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Jena Malone, and the aforementioned Martin Short all aboard in some capacity, most of it stoned. Now Cigarettes And Red Vines is saying Penn could be targeted for the role of irascible loan shark Adrian Prussia, while Deadline says Brolin is also set for an unspecified “key role” in the project that still has tons of them, apparently. This means the Gangster Squad co-stars could already be reteaming for another detective noir period piece set in L.A., this time in the early 1970s—presumably signing on not only because of the chance to work with Anderson, but the promise of snazzier shoes. Isn't that why we all sign on to things?