With a planned August start date having come and gone with no news, things weren’t exactly looking upbeat for Paul Thomas Anderson’s 50s-set religious drama tentatively titled “The Master.” Now, however, comes confirmation of the film’s temporary demise with potential star Jeremy Renner unfortunately revealing to Total Film’s latest print edition that it has been “postponed indefinitely at this point.”
“I was really bummed about that,” Renner revealed. “It really kind of stalled because when we were rehearsing — Phil, Paul and myself — we kept coming up against a wall that we couldn’t overcome. Or at least Paul couldn’t overcome.”
And confirming the project’s stalemate, Hoffman revealed in an interview with The Playlist during press rounds for “Jack Goes Boating” that “I don’t have any new information [‘The Master’]. I really mean that, I’m not being obtuse. I don’t quite know what that is at the moment, but hopefully I will and hopefully I’ll be part of something soon. It would be great to work with him again.”
It’s a tragic turn for the highly promising project but is it merely a hurdle for the production or will the project end up in purgatory and be one for cinematic trivia in years to come? At this stage, things certainly don’t sound too optimistic with what sounds like repeated obstacles hindering the project’s development, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed.
The film was set to follow the rise of a particular religion, The Cause — bearing striking resemblance to Scientology — through the story of a charismatic intellectual leader (highly reminiscent of L. Ron Hubbard) and his apprentice Freddie Sutton; roles which were filled by Anderson regular Philip Seymour Hoffman and Renner. On top of that, Reese Witherspoon was reportedly offered the role of the Master’s wife Mary Sue while the likes of Amanda Seyfried, Emma Stone and Deborah Ann Woll were apparently considered for the role of his daughter Elizabeth.
Our review of an early, early script was certainly impressed with PTA’s writing and described the story as “the battle for Freddie’s soul which has been seduced by the dark charms of the master, but even that is far too simple a description of this layered, mysterious and at times very ambiguous tale.” That said, we did predict potential hurdles in getting this made noting that “if intelligent dramas are being threatened with extinction of late (or at least at a certain budget), surely this could become a problem for PTA.” Hopefully, our words can be proven wrong at some stage.
The Wrap have confirmed the film’s backers River Road are no longer financing the film. Looks like it’s back to square one for the film. Here’s hoping things pick up at some stage in the future.
I had a feeling this was coming. It was just the way everyone seemed to be moving on like this wasn't happening anymore that convinced me. Even producer, and long time PTA friend and former agent, John Lesher was setting up other projects.
It was a mistake for PTA to move to CAA and have them package this, I think. I believe that there may have been a little inside sabatoge here.
I just found it weird how productions on PAPER WINGS and THIS MEANS WAR suddenly geared up with such rapid speed when it was announced that Reese Witherspoon was offered the part. PAPER WINGS stars (and is being produced by) Tom Cruise, Hollywood's biggest Scientologist; and THIS MEANS WAR is being produced by Will Smith, Hollywood's biggest closet Scientologist. Both had Witherspoon attached. My bet is that they felt Witherspoon's involvement would've helped sell the project to a studio.
Tom Cruise and Will Smith are really big at CAA. CAA is notorious for smiling to your face and stabbing you in the back when one of your projects conflicts with one of their major clients. PTA has nothing on Tom Cruise at CAA.
That's my conspiracy theory anyway. It's too bad.
Worst news. Ever.
It may be branded as a conspiracy theory, but considering the hold Scientology has over some of Hollywood's most powerful I wouldn't be surprised if they are presenting at least some of these obstacles blocking this film being made.
This is absolutely horrible news and I hope we hear more about the story soon. Keep on top of it Playlist, you've been so good with this project from the very start.
Another point to consider: on at least two previous PTA films, the first few weeks of shooting were scrapped, redone or re-conceptualized based on issues with cast, story or tone.
The first 2 weeks of Punch Drunk Love were thrown out and they started over. On TWBB, the boy-preacher character was recast after at least a week of shooting, and Daniel Plainview's look (he was completely bald when they were shooting the first time) got completely updated as well.
Maybe PTA found some issues that needed to be fixed up front so that the rest of production would work properly?
Yeah you guys ruined this movie by reporting it was about scientology which created a little soundbite for everyone on the internet to report about. why couldn't you keep your early-script reading, trying-to-create-buzzworthy-headlines mouths shut?!
It's totally the playlist's fault, even though it was a script written about before by some nerdlinger that no one cared about, who had the script first and circulated it everywhere because no one believed him that he had it and he had to prove his worth.
Totally their fault.
This kind of news makes me want to curl up in a ball and listen to a semi-sorta-classic by Cinderella: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i28UEoLXVFQ
Coincidence that Renner recently signed on to MI4?
Another weird coincidence would be that Renner's agent at CAA is also on Tom Cruise's "team" of agents there as well.
I honestly believe that CAA doomed this.
PTA creating a film studying the nature of religion, starring PSH…and it hss trouble securing finance?! what kind of world are we living in where people are not doing hefty battle with one another in order to commission this project? i mean, seriously!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!