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[News Thetan]

Reese Witherspoon May Be Joining Paul Thomas Anderson's Next Film - Cinema Blend
24 May 2010, 5:39 pm



There's really no upcoming movie more worth your anticipation and excitement than the untitled project Paul Thomas Anderson is working on, the story widely believed to be based on Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Aside from simply being the next project from the always fascinating Anderson, the movie had already assembled a killer cast-- Philip Seymour Hoffman in the lead, Jeremy Renner as his sidekick, and who knows what other kind of Anderson regulars to fill in side roles.

So how would Reese Witherspoon being added to the cast change your feelings about it? The Playlist picked up a report in the print edition of Production Weekly that claims Witherspoon has been offered a role in the film, which starts production in June. It's not clear what the role might be, and given that The Playlist has read the script and wasn't able to find too many substantial female roles, it's hard for them to imagine what role Witherspoon might actually play. Then again, scripts change, and we know so little about what Anderson is up to that things could have changed drastically since the draft The Playlist saw.

more at http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Reese-Witherspoon-May-Be-Joining-Paul-Thomas-Anderson-s-Next-Film-18713.html

[Lorelei]

First I've heard of it. Is it cult-sponsored, or cult-critical?

[mefree]

Master reunites PT Anderson and Philip Seymour Hoffman
Religious drama set in 1950s America will be fifth collaboration between director of There Will Be Blood and Oscar-winning actor

Director Paul Thomas Anderson will reunite with actor Philip Seymour Hoffman  on Master, a religious drama set in 1950s America.

Hoffman acted in Anderson's debut feature Hard Eight back in 1996 and took supporting roles in Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Punch-Drunk Love. Master marks their fifth collaboration.

The film will star Hoffman as an intellectual in the mould of Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard, who sets up a successful faith-based organisation. Variety reports that the tale focuses on the relationship between "the master" and his pupil – a young drifter who joins the group and then starts to doubt its ideals and ambitions.

Master looks likely to be backed by Universal, although the studio has yet to officially green-light its estimated $35m (£21m) budget.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/dec/04/master-pt-anderson-philip-seymour-hoffman

[News Thetan]

Will Scientologists declare war on Paul Thomas Anderson's 'The Master'? - Seattle Post Intelligencer
10 June 2010, 8:18 pm

Scientology's most advanced followers allegedly believe in a 75-million-year-old alien named Xenu. They shirk modern psychiatry and seek happiness by reducing their "thetan" levels. Over the years, they've grown into an international multimillion dollar organization accused of intimidating their enemies with scare tactics and pushing the law to its limits in the name of self-preservation, earning a reputation for shadowy, cult-like dealings that once famously earned them comparison to the Mafia by Time Magazine. Perhaps even worse, they're responsible for the bizarre celebrity spectacle that is Tom Cruise. But did the Church of Scientology have enough far-reaching power to block Universal from green lighting the latest Paul Thomas Anderson opus?

more at http://www.seattlepi.com/movies/421536_film38765823.html

[News Thetan]

Paul Thomas Anderson set to shoot his Scientology film - io9
16 July 2010, 6:08 pm



Paul Thomas Anderson, director of Magnolia and Boogie Nights, is set to start shooting a movie about a science fiction author who founds a religion. Called his "untitled Scientology film," it will star Philip Seymour Hoffman as the "master."

This movie, nicknamed The Master by fans, has been in the works for a while and has had a number of cool actors attached. But now the Cigarettes and Red Vines blog has gotten confirmation from Anderson himself that the movie starts shooting soon. Anybody who has seen Magnolia - with that scene where the motivational speaker character screams, "RESPECT the COCK!" - knows that Anderson's the right director to do this thing.

The Playlist got its hands on an early script for the movie, and reports:

"The Master" is the story of a charismatic intellectual (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who hatches a faith-based organization that begins to catch on in America in 1952 called The Cause. The core dynamic centers on the relationship between The Master and Freddie Sutton, (would be absolutely perfect for Paul Dano) an aimless twenty-something drifter and alcoholic who eventually becomes the leader's loyal lieutenant. As the faith begins to gain a fervent following, Freddie finds himself questioning the belief system he has embraced, and his mentor.

       
(http://theplaylist.blogspot.com/2010/02/in-depth-look-at-paul-thomas-andersons.html)

more at http://io9.com/5589108/paul-thomas-anderson-set-to-shoot-his-scientology-film

[mefree]

The latest news is that this project is "postponed indefinitely."
http://theplaylist.blogspot.com/2010/09/paul-thomas-andersons-untitled.html

Additional comments by David Poland on the subject found here:
http://moviecitynews.com/2010/09/byob-for-a-new-week-3/