The Master - Spoiler-Free Thread

[The Perineum Falcon]

Jeremy Renner Not Joining Paul Thomas Anderson's Untitled Scientology Drama, Project Still Set For Production This Summer?
via: The Playlist

After his critically acclaimed turn as Sgt. William James in Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker," Jeremy Renner has found himself an interesting bunch of projects to potentially follow up with.

The actor first joined James McTeigue's upcoming murder mystery centering on Edgar Allen Poe's last days (described as "The Raven" meets "Se7en") but has also been linked to roles in Peter Berg's film adaptation of board game "Battleship" as well as a collaboration with auteur Paul Thomas Anderson and Phillip Seymour Hoffman on their untitled Scientology drama.

However, in a sidenote to Taylor Kitsch's casting in "Battleship" today, Renner has reportedly passed on Anderson's project with "scheduling conflicts preventing his involvement" — the same conflict also caused him to pull out of Berg's film. With "Battleship" scheduled to shoot this summer, it's not known what project is causing the issue though it could very well be McTeigue's "The Raven."

But wait, does this mean Anderson's religious drama is also shooting this summer despite it's studio woes? Have River Road stepped up to the plate after Universal passed? It had been thought such backing issues would cause the film's production to be delayed and open up the calendar for Renner but all this was, of course, before the other Renner project was slated to shoot at the same time.

Renner's exclusion from PTA's film is disappointing but may ultimately make things easier. His link had stirred a little controversy as his potential role, Freddie, was written as a young, impressionable 20-something drifter in an early draft. Our original script review had actually proposed "There Will Be Blood" star Paul Dano for the role, who is 14 years younger than Renner. Of course, there's also the possibility that the religious drama had undergone rewrites, after all, Renner had reportedly taken at least five meetings with Anderson.

Either way, we're sure this is just the tip of the iceberg to the story with details surrounding what's happening with Renner, "The Raven" and PTA's religious drama likely to hit soon if both are in fact set for summer shoots.

[Find Your Magali]

Not to go all tangental here, but how the bleep do you make a motion picture out of the game "Battleship"? Seriously.

[matt35mm]

It's probably just a movie full of battleships and not much to do with the actual rules of the game.

[Tree]

It's probably just a movie full of battleships and not much to do with the actual rules of the game.

DISAGREE, it probably has destroyers and submarines and chinese junks or whatever too

and an old white guy with a funny hat will say "YOU SUNK MY BATTLESHIP" in the trailer

[Stefen]

It's going to have some 3D gimmick that pays homage to the......board game.

[polkablues]

It will have aliens.  Peter Berg said so.  Battleships versus spaceships.  I'm not kidding.

[Stefen]

Were there martians in the boardgame?

At least it's not vampires.

Or perky oblivious actresses.

[Myxo]

More things need to happen about this project for me to read about.

[©brad]

Jeremy Renner to be taught by 'The Master'
via The Playlist

So one could argue that THR already confirmed this — and sites like us and Vulture were confused with their weird verbiage — and we'd be fine with that, but we've been told by a couple very good sources, what you've probably figured out already: Jeremy Renner is now 100% locked in to take the role of the drunken, existentially lost drifter, Freddie Sutton in Paul Thomas Anderson's take down of Scientology religion in a currently untitled film project, affectionately known to fans as "The Master."

An official announcement should be made soon. The question about funding and when this will shoot still needs clarification (River Road was last rumored to be footing the bill). We've heard the project will go in front of cameras "soon" (our guess is late summer/or the fall) but we suppose that despite Universal passing on the project, the film that now has Renner and stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as a surrogate for L. Ron Hubbard is moving forward (read more details in our thorough script review). More details as we get them...

[Pozer]

i somehow knew he'd be back. rollin with Milton Bradley movie over this woulda been biggest d'oh of his career. 

[polkablues]

April Fools!

[modage]

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat

Reese Witherspoon Offered A Role In Paul Thomas Anderson's Untitled Relgion Pic? Shooting Starting In June?
Source: The Playlist

Things have been pretty quiet on the Paul Thomas Anderson front and his new untitled religion picture, affectionately known as "The Master" by fans.

Loosely -- or not so loosely -- based on the life of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard (read our review of a very early draft of the script), we know that Philip Seymour Hoffman will play the messianic lead, Jeremy Renner will play Freddie Sutton, the drifter character that becomes The Master's right hand man, and we know that Universal passed on the project and River Road is footing the bill (the company that produced Terrence Malick's "Tree Of Life" and Doug Liman's "Fair Game"; Honcho Bill Pohlad is also an investor in distributor Apparition, so don't be surprised if the film ends up there).

Now comes a few more details from the latest issue of Production Weekly. According to their intel, Reese Witherspoon has been offered a role in the picture and the production is eyeing a June start date. Producing is John Lesher, Pohlad and Jo Anne Sellar.

June is next week if it actually starts on the first. Could the production really be this ready to go and no one's really reported that yet?

Zero further details are given, but we would assume that if Witherspoon takes a role, it's one of the the Master's daughters who acts as his caretakers and vigilant lieutenants (possibly the one named Mary-Sue). Witherspoon is also attached to McG's "This Means War," which is supposed to start shooting in July, so that could be a potential conflict if she even agrees to the role (she's also currently shooting "Water For Elephants"). However, all of the daughters' roles in the draft that floated around earlier this year were pretty tiny. Sure, it was an early script and things must have certainly changed, but we can't imagine it's been completely deconstructed.

There is one small role of a prostitute who also hooks up with Renner's character, but that role, while reoccurring throughout, does feel pretty small too. Witherspoon can be pretty commanding when she needs to be -- her company is called Type A productions after all -- and some have joked she's not that far removed from the Tracy Flick character she portrayed in "Election," so we think she would be pretty good for the key daughter who oversees her father's business and best interests.

But again, it is just an offer. She could easily turn it down, there were some salacious bits with the daughter in that early draft, we'll just have to wait and see and hope this report uncovers more info.

http://theplaylist.blogspot.com/2010/05/reese-witherspoon-offered-role-in-paul.html

[Pubrick]

Not suprised either way, real or not. For one thing, we really don't know anything about the state of the current script.  And besides if the film calls for a has been then who are we to judge PTA for casting so accurately.

I'm also not surprised the playlist doesn't know what "deconstructed" means.

[Derek]

It's interesting that pretty much all of the information thus far has been coming from this website. In any event, if it goes according to the script that is online, it doesn't have to be one of the daughters, it could very well be for the Master's wife.

None too excited about Reese Witherspoon though.

[tpfkabi]

she better not do that weird face she does from time to time, most known from Cruel Intentions.