Paul Thomas Anderson, Sean Penn and Regina Hall Join the Oscar Fight With Timely Epic ‘One Battle After Another’

In 2006, Martin Scorsese finally got his Oscar. After decades of being passed over for films that defined American cinema — “Taxi Driver” (1976), “Raging Bull” (1980), “Goodfellas” (1990) — the industry threw its full weight behind “The Departed.” The Boston mob drama wasn’t considered his best work by cinephiles or critics, but it was his time. Hollywood loves a coronation, and Scorsese got one.

Nearly 20 years later, Paul Thomas Anderson may be at the same crossroads.

The L.A.-born auteur behind “Boogie Nights” (1997), “Magnolia” (1999), “There Will Be Blood” (2007) and “The Master” (2012) has racked up 11 Oscar nominations across directing, screenplay and best picture categories. But he’s never heard his name called from the Dolby Theatre stage. His latest effort, Warner Bros.’ sprawling 162-minute thriller “One Battle After Another,” could finally deliver that elusive statue, if the studio plays its cards right.

Oscar history is littered with examples of the “it’s their time…