Philip Seymour Hoffman could be Paul Thomas Anderson’s ”Master” (not as kinky as it sounds).
Here’s one that sounds great before even an inch of film has been shot: Variety says that Paul Thomas Anderson will direct his own script about a 1950s charismatic religious leader, with Philip Seymour Hoffman in the lead role. Hoffman has previously worked with Anderson on “Boogie Nights,” “Hard Eight,” “Magnolia,” and “Punch-Drunk Love.” Anderson’s last film was “There Will Be Blood,” which I personally think should have won Best Picture over “No Country for Old Men,” two years ago.
Here’s the story for the as yet untitled script:
Hoffman will play “The Master,” as in “master of ceremonies,” a charismatic intellectual who hatches a faith-based organization that begins to catch on in America in 1952.
The core is the relationship between The Master and Freddie, a twenty-something drifter who becomes the leader’s lieutenant. As the faith begins to gain a fervent following, Freddie finds himself questioning the belief system he has embraced, and his mentor.
Just to clarify that this isn’t a hatchet job on organized religion (not that there’s anything wrong with that), Variety says:
“…the scrutiny isn’t specifically directed toward faith-based movements like Scientology or Mormonism that are newcomers compared to established religions. Anderson explores the need to believe in a higher power, the choice of which to embrace, and the point at which a belief system graduates into a religion.”
That sounds a lot like a press release to me.
Well, as I said, this is one that looks foolproof on paper. Of course, that paper thing doesn’t always work out.
