Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the best filmmakers working today, but he makes movies that can sometimes struggle to get financed. Add to that the fact that his next movie, The Master, is reportedly a riff on the founding of Scientology (whose cult members are notoriously litigious), and I wondered if he’d ever get the film off the ground.
Turns out that he is, and he’s getting it off the ground NEXT MONTH. That’s right, The Master starts shooting some time in August. Which means the film could be released in 2011, or at least start hitting the festival circuit. Could PTA be ambitious enough to try and get this done for Sundance? If not, this must be a lock for Cannes.
Philip Seymour Hoffman stars as the titular Master, a version of L Ron Hubbard. Jeremy Renner was at one point pegged for the role of Freddie, the Master’s second in command who falls out of favor. If the big Avengers announcement/cast appearance at Comic Con happens, maybe someone can get info from Renner there about it.
I’m excited. Why is it that Paul Thomas Anderson struggles to get a 35 million dollar movie off the ground but so many hack directors are handed hundreds of millions? I love the movies, but some days Hollywood bums me out.
23 comments
I imagine Scientology is a big reason he can't get funding for this one, at least. I'm glad he's getting it made, and I hope he's able to keep this out of one of your future articles about lost films.
I'll take Wild Palms as a riff on Scientology.
It would be mind meltingly, meta mind blowing if PTA re-teamed with Tom Cruise for this film.
It's because a ton of people in Hollywood are part of the scientology scam.
I hope he gets Philip Seymour Hoffman to play Xenu.
This is tremendously fantastic news. He's the best American filmmaker working today and seems physically incapable of making a bad film.
Hoffman will make a fucking scarily suitable Elron. Hope he can get Cruise for "Freddie"!
Best Scientology satire: Bowfinger.
Let's hope this doesn't get him killed.
So who's going to play Torgo?
So, no Lee Von Cleef and no ninjas then?
WOO-HOOOO!!! This is the best news of the whole fucking week. I was worried it was going to fall apart, too, but thank God! More P.T. Anderson means more happiness.
Damn, I cannot wait to see this!
@ last paragraph: How many of your acquaintances saw THERE WILL BE BLOOD? How many saw TRANSFORMERS? For that matter: how many articles are there on CHUD about all of PTA's films? Compared to articles about Brett Rattner projects? In answer to "what's up with blockbuster X?", how often do you redirect the discussion with "let me tell you about this much better movie instead"? Friend o mine asked about AVATAR last week, I replied with "Have you seen DISTRICT 9 yet?" There is no mystery, or cause to be "bummed out about Hollywood". It, like all other systems, seeks only to perpetuate itself. The more money and ink we all give it, the more successful it is – and it will evolve in the direction we pour said $ and ink.
Yes! This is going to be awesome. On a side note, Bowfinger was a pretty funny anti-Scientology flick.
Mindhead!!
Gore Vidal wrote an excellent novel satirizing Scientology in the '50s called "Messiah" (1954) … when the kooky kult was still in its infancy.
I hope he covers the whole deal with them trying to infiltrate the IRS.
Yes, it sucks a.s.s that Hollywood so often favors the grovelers and undermines the people who has an actual, interesting remark to make on our society. I enjoy a mass-production as much as the next movie-loving, pop-corn chewing Deuce, but that doesn't make up for all the shit the Tinseltown has crapped out lately. It's depressing to think of all those wasted millions that could have been put to so much better use by someone with more of a defined vision.
Cannot wait to see this movie, though. The topic at hand is intriguing, with so many stars falling under its spell. What is the deal? Really. To each his own, but aliens? Seriously?
The funny thing in Bowfinger is that the only people not trying to rip off Eddie Murphy's character and in fact are actively trying to protect his best interests are the Mindhead (scientology-like) people.
Messiah was a great book! I hope PT Anderson's version is at least as good as that.
John Waters has been struggling for years (!) to raise FIVE MILLION to get Fruitcake made. It shouldn't take such effort from the masters to be able to continue working.
Arise my wives. Give ear to the words of Manos. Arise my wives! And hear the will of Manos!
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