Amy Adams and Lena Endre Join Paul Thomas Anderson’s Untitled Religious Drama

by     Posted: June 1st, 2011 at 12:33 pm

amy-adams-lena-endre-slice-01

Last month, we reported that in addition to Joaquin Phoenix signing on to star opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman in Paul Thomas Anderson’s untitled religious drama, actresses Madisen Beaty (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) Amy Adams, Lena Endre (2009′s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), and Laura Dern were also circling the project.  Earlier this week, we reported that Dern was on board (along with Jesse Plemons and David Warshofsky) and now we’ve learned that Endre and Adams have also joined the flick.  The Playlist reports that Endre’s role is currently unknown while Deadline is reporting that Adams will play the wife of Hoffman’s character, Lancaster Dodd.

The story is set in the 1950s and centers on Dodd, a World War II veteran, who starts a new religion after being haunted by the horrors of battle.  He then takes in an alcoholic drifter (Phoenix) as his right-hand man.  Earlier drafts of the script heavily implied that the movie was based on L. Ron Hubbard and the founding of the Church of Scientology, but that aspect may have been reduced in later drafts.  I’m not familiar with Endre’s work, but I’m a huge fan of Adams and this cast continues to impress.

Laura Dern, Jesse Plemons, and David Warshofsky Join Paul Thomas Anderson’s Religious Drama

by     Posted: May 31st, 2011 at 2:30 pm

dern-plemons-warshofsky-slice-01

Now that the lead roles in Paul Thomas Anderson’ untitled religious drama have been filled by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix, it looks like the supporting cast is starting to fill out.  As we previously reported, the film centers on the charismatic figure of Lancaster Dodd (Hoffman) who forms his own religion after witnessing the horrors of World War II.  His right hand man is an alcoholic drifter (Phoenix) who eventually begins to question his mentor’s beliefs.  Earlier drafts heavily implied that the movie was based on the history of Scientology, but that subtext may have been reduced in more recent versions of the script.

Variety reports that Laura Dern (Everything Must Go), Jesse Plemons (Friday Night Lights), and David Warshofsky (There Will Be Blood) have joined the film.  Plemons will play Dodd’s son, and Warshofsky will play a detective.  No word yet on who Dern will play, but I like all three of these actors and Anderson has always excelled at putting together a strong cast.  Plemons will next be seen in Peter Berg’s Battleship while Warshofsky was recently cast in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln.

Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Hawkes, James Spader and More in Talks to Join Spielberg’s LINCOLN

by     Posted: May 5th, 2011 at 4:17 pm

tommy-lee-jones-joseph-gordon-levitt-john-hawkes-james-spader-slice

A slew of actors are now in negotiations to join the cast of Steven Spielberg’s long-in-gestation Abraham Lincoln biopic Lincoln. Daniel Day-Lewis is set to star as our nation’s 16th president, with Sally Field attached to play his wife Mary Todd. Now, the names of those currently in negotiations to join the project are as follows (deep breath): Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Hawkes, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, Tim Blake Nelson, Bruce McGill (Fair Game), Joseph Cross (Milk), David Costabile (Breaking Bad), Byron Jennings (Julie & Julia), Dakin Matthews (True Grit), Boris McGiver (The Wire), Gloria Reuben (ER), Jeremy Strong (The Happening) and David Warshofsky (Taken). Now that’s one hell of a cast.

Jones will play Pennsylvanian Republican congressman Thaddeus Stevens, a strong supporter of abolishing slavery and a man crucial to the legislation that funded the Civil War. Gordon-Levitt is in talks to play Lincoln’s son, Robert Todd. Robert was Abraham’s eldest son and the only one to live past his teenage years. No word on who the other actors will be playing, but one assumes that Lincoln’s cabinet will make up a good deal of the roles. Hit the jump to read the full press release. Lincoln is set to start filming in Virginia this fall, with a 4th-quarter 2012 release.

Features

IndieClick Film Network

Click Here