The Master

Paul Thomas Anderson Screened Scientology-Related Drama THE MASTER for Tom Cruise

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: May 22nd, 2012 at 10:08 pm

In the early days of reporting on Paul Thomas Anderson‘s latest movie, before it was called The Master, we tentatively referred to it as PTA’s Scientology Film.  The conception of the movie has since evolved, focusing on a man (Philip Seymour Hoffman) so shaken by the horrors of World War II that he creates a new, nonspecific religion.  But still, there are similarities between this story and the life of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard—specifically the post-WWII time frame and the philosophical epiphany on a boat trip.  This seems enough cause for tension between Anderson and Tom Cruise, his Magnolia star and outspoken Scientologist.  Anderson, giving us yet another reason to respect him, decided to address the conflict head on and screen a rough cut of The Master for Cruise.  Hit the jump for Cruise’s reaction.

First Clip from Paul Thomas Anderson’s THE MASTER Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 21st, 2012 at 9:17 am

The first clip Paul Thomas Anderson‘s The Master has gone online.  The film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as a veteran who’s haunted by his experiences during World War II, and decides to form his own religion as a result.  Joaquin Phoenix plays a drifter who becomes the right-hand man to Hoffman’s character.  As you’ll see from the clip, the movie apparently has a very heavy There Will Be Blood vibe both in terms of how its cut and from Jonny Greenwood‘s score.  The Master is also Joaquin Phoenix’s first movie since “retiring” from acting, and he looks absolutely amazing.  His performance in this clip is both creepy and dangerous, and I can’t wait to see him return to form in what could be one of his best roles to date.

Hit the jump to check out the clip.  The film, which also stars Amy Adams, Laura Dern, Jesse Plemons, and David Warshovsky, is having a sneak peek for press later today at the Cannes Film Festival.  The Master will probably make the fall festival rounds before hitting theaters on October 12th.

Director Paul Thomas Anderson Updates Progress on THE MASTER; Also Provides the First Image of Philip Seymour Hoffman in Character

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: May 15th, 2012 at 5:05 pm

Director Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood) has kindly provided an update on the status of his recently rescued project, The Master.  As the picture is being shot in 65mm film, Anderson provided a first image (of sorts) of star Philip Seymour Hoffman (Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead) in character. Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Laura Dern, Jesse Plemons and David Warshovsky also star in the drama about a man (Hoffman) so shaken by the horrors of World War II that he creates a new religion.  Anderson’s There Will Be Blood composer, Johnny Greenwood, is scoring the film.  The Master is aiming for an October 12th release.  Hit the jump to read the message from Anderson and to take a look at the first images.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s THE MASTER Dated for October 12; THE APOCALYPSE Starring Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel to Open June 2013

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: March 27th, 2012 at 8:13 pm

The release dates for two films from filmmakers that you really like were announced tonight:

• The Weinstein Company will release Paul Thomas Anderson‘s religious drama The Master starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman on October 12, 2012
• Sony will release a comedy from Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill on June 14, 2013; it is currently listed as untitled, but may be the project we know as The Apocalypse, or perhaps Sausage Party.  [Update: The Playlist has confirmed that The Apocalypse, starring Rogen and Jay Baruchel, is opening on June 14, 2013]

Hit the jump for more on each project.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s THE MASTER May Open in October

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 6th, 2012 at 7:48 am

It’s been a bit of a long road for Paul Thomas Anderson‘s The Master.  The project was pretty much dead until Megan Ellison and her Annapurna Pictures resurrected the film and provided the financing (thanks for that, Ms. Ellison!).  In December, we heard that the film was likely to be released at near the end of the year.  PTA fan site Cigarettes and Red Vines contacted Ellison about the release date, and she responded:

@cigsandredvines I know you guys are waiting on a release date for ‘the Master’, and it’s still a bit early, but I’d keep my eyes on October

Hit the jump for more.

Brad Bird, Andrew Stanton, and Lee Unkrich Tweet-Confirm Paul Thomas Anderson Shooting THE MASTER on 65mm

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 12th, 2012 at 3:17 pm

Despite being a sounding board for the woes and whines of anyone with a computer and/or phone, Twitter can actually be pretty cool sometimes. Case in point: last night Pixar directors/all-around awesome guys Brad Bird (The Incredibles), Andrew Stanton (Wall-E) and Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) participated in a Twitter conversation about the merits of 70mm exhibition and 65mm shooting. The conversation alone would have been enough to satisfy any cinephile, but a tidbit of exciting news came out of the back-and-forth. Stanton, who’s set to release his live-action debut John Carter this March, tweeted the following:

“The Master is indeed in 65. They nearly lost a camera shooting in the Bay.”

The Master is the working title of Paul Thomas Anderson’s highly anticipated new drama, and it appears he shot the pic in the high-resolution format. Hit the jump for more.

New Set Photos from SUPERMAN: MAN OF STEEL and Paul Thomas Anderson’s THE MASTER

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: December 10th, 2011 at 11:11 am

This article highlights both extremes on the spectrum of set photos, using two movie starring Amy Adams as examples. On one hand, you’ve got the blurry candids of Henry Cavill as Superman and Michael Shannon as General Zod on the set of Superman: Man of Steel. Not especially revealing, but Superman! Zod!

On the other hand, we have gorgeous black-and-white photographs taken on the set of Paul Thomas Anderson‘s religious cult picture The Master. No stars or supervillains, but arguably more insightful into the process as a look at the period detail on the 1950s-era costumes and sets. Hit the jump to see the images plus background on both films.

Jonny Greenwood Reteaming with Paul Thomas Anderson to Score THE MASTER

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 5th, 2011 at 12:44 pm

Jonny Greenwood‘s score for There Will Be Blood was one of the many reasons the film was amazing.  It pulled just enough from period-era music so as not be jarring, but it was offbeat enough to be completely unnerving.  Now, Cigarettes and Red Vines is reporting that Greenwood is re-teaming with director Paul Thomas Anderson to score The Master (still an unofficial title).  Oliver Weindling, founder of British record label Babel, tweeted said “Zed-U recorded part of soundtrack for Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead last week. Film (by Paul Thomas Anderson) to appear in 2013.”  Zed-U are a British jazz trio and you can listen to some of their music after the jump.

For those who aren’t familiar with The Master, the story centers on a World War II veteran (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who returns home and creates his own religion after witnessing the horrors of war.  At one point, The Master reportedly had a very strong parallel to Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, but it’s unknown how much of the script has changed since then.  The Master co-stars Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Laura Dern, Jesse Plemons, and David Warshovsky. Let’s take a moment to be grateful that this once-dead project is now in post-production with a late 2012 U.S. release on the horizon (the 2013 date is when the movie will probably hit the U.K.)

Amy Adams Talks THE MUPPETS and Paul Thomas Anderson’s THE MASTER

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: November 21st, 2011 at 10:12 am

With director James Bobin’s The Muppets getting released on Wednesday, it’s finally time to start posting the video interviews I got to do with the cast and filmmakers.  If you’re a Muppets fan, every day this week I’ll be posting a new interview and I’m starting with Amy Adams.  But before getting to the interview, as I’ve said a few times, I absolutely loved The Muppets.  It’s one of my favorite films of the year and it not only made me laugh, it also made me cry.  If you were nervous about the movie…don’t be.  It’s a huge home run.

During my interview with Adams (who plays Jason Segel‘s love interest), she talks about how she got involved in the project (specifically this video), did she take home any props, her reaction to seeing the finished film, what’s her karaoke song, and what was her favorite scene to film.  In addition, we also talked about Paul Thomas Anderson‘s The Master.  Hit the jump to watch.

Synopsis and Promo Poster for Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson Project

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: November 2nd, 2011 at 4:34 pm

All eyes were on writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson as to what project he would be taking on after his 2007 tour-de-force There Will Be Blood. It took a few years, but he finally settled on a new untitled project that centers on the leader/creator of a faith-based organization and his followers. The stellar cast includes Philip Seymour Hoffman as the organization’s leader and Joaquin Phoenix as a young drifter who Hoffman sets as his right-hand-man, as well as Amy Adams, Laura Dern, Jesse Plemons, and David Warshovsky. Steve was able to grab a synopsis for the film at AFM earlier today, as well as a simple promo poster. Hit the jump to check them out.

Ambyr Childers Joins Paul Thomas Anderson’s THE MASTER and Ruben Fleischer’s GANGSTER SQUAD

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 4th, 2011 at 9:34 am

Ambyr Childers biggest role to date is her two-year stint on All My Children, but now she’s landed supporting roles in two major upcoming films.  Deadline reports that Childers has signed on to co-star in Paul Thomas Anderson’s religious drama The Master (tentative title), and Ruben Fleischer’s 1940s crime drama Gangster Squad.  In The Master, Childers will play the daughter of a Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a man who decides to create his own religion after witnessing the horrors of World War II.  The film also stars Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Jesse Plemons, David Warshofsky, Laura Dern, Lena Endre, Rami Malek, Madisen Beaty, Josh Close, and Fiona Dourif.

As for Gangster Squad, Childers’ will play a “key role” but that’s all we know about the part.  The movie centers on an LAPD task force and their attempt to bring down infamous gangster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn).  Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Anthony Mackie, Michael Peña, Giovanni Ribisi, Emma Stone, and Nick Nolte will co-star.  Gangster Squad is due out October 19, 2012, and (fingers crossed) we can expect The Master to make the late 2012 festival rounds.

New Release Dates for LOOPER, PLAYING THE FIELD, THE IDES OF MARCH, THE MASTER, and More

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 9th, 2011 at 7:37 am

Time to break out your calendars, kids!  A slew of new release dates have been announced.  I’m going to rattle off the release dates right now and then you can hit the jump to briefly learn about the film (if you haven’t heard about it already) and what it will be playing against.  First up, Box Office Mojo reports that Rian Johnson’s Looper is set for September 28, 2012; Roland Emmerich’s Anonymous has been pushed back to October 28th; the sci-fi thriller Lockout has been moved to April 13, 2012; the Gerard Butler comedy Playing the Field is slated for March 9, 2012; and the George Clooney political drama The Ides of March has been pushed up a week to October 7th.  Additionally, Cigarettes & Red Vines [via The Playlist] reports that Paul Thomas Anderson’s religious drama The Master (unofficial title) is looking at a late 2012 release.

Hit the jump for more on all of these films and their current competition at the box office.

Promo Poster for Paul Thomas Anderson’s Untitled Drama

by Max Lichtig    Posted: May 18th, 2011 at 7:43 am

Way back last year, we reported some casting news as well as gave a brief synopsis of the upcoming highly-anticipated Paul Thomas Anderson project. Following his dark character study of rich-man greed in There Will Be Blood, Anderson’s next film, which is technically untitled but had been unofficially given the name The Master, and that script followed “charismatic intellectual who hatches a faith-based organization that begins to catch on in America in 1952,” but there have now reportedly been some changes to tone down the story’s parallels to Scientology.  The story now concerns “a man who returns after witnessing the horrors of WWII and tries to rediscover who he is in post-war America. He creates a belief system, something that catches on with other lost souls.” We’ll see how much the final product calls out Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, but for now, we’ll make due with this bland promo poster shown at Cannes which, though it provides nothing more than a silhouette of a man, at least confirms that the movie is being developed.

Hit the jump to check out the poster and more details on the film.

Joaquin Phoenix Joins Paul Thomas Anderson’s Untitled Religious Drama; The Weinstein Company to Distribute Film Worldwide

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 9th, 2011 at 12:39 pm

After looking rather dead last September, Paul Thomas Anderson’s untitled religious drama was resurrected this past February when producer Megan Ellison (True Grit) and her Annapurna Productions came on board to finance the picture.  Deadline now reports that Joaquin Phoenix has been confirmed play Freddie Sutton, an alcoholic drifter who becomes right-hand man to Lancaster Dodd, a charismatic intellectual known as The Master (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, who’s been attached to the film from the beginning). Earlier drafts of the story were overtly based on Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, but that has reportedly changed.   According to Deadline, “[Anderson] has greatly overhauled the script and now, Hoffman stars as a man who returns after witnessing the horrors of WWII and tries to rediscover who he is in post-war America. He creates a belief system, something that catches on with other lost souls.”

Deadline is also reporting that Anderson is now considering actresses Madisen Beaty (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) Amy Adams, Lena Endre (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), and Laura Dern for roles in the film.  Hit the jump for more details on this exciting production.

Joaquin Phoenix in Talks to Star in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Untitled Religious Drama

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 12th, 2011 at 3:07 pm

After discovering that no one really cared about his retirement from acting or about the movie about his fake meltdown, Joaquin Phoenix may be getting back into the moving pictures (even though he never really left it).  Variety reports that Joaquin Phoenix is in talks to join Philip Seymour Hoffman in Paul Thomas Anderson’s untitled religious drama.  The story is based on the founding of Scientology and has Hoffman playing “Lancaster Dodd, a charismatic intellectual known as The Master” who creates a new religion, but eventually comes into conflict with his chief disciple.  Phoenix would play the disciple, Freddie Sutton, “an alcholic drifter who becomes his right-hand man only to begin questioning his manipulative mentor.”

Last fall, the film—unofficially referred to as “The Master“—looked dead, but then this past February, Megan Ellison came to rescue not only of this film, but also Anderson’s planned adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s Inherent Vice.  Hit the jump for my thoughts on Phoenix joining The Master.

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