PT Anderson Becoming the MASTER

Some people claim that writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson, at 39, has already hit that level of “Master Filmmaker”.   The next project for the man who brought us BOOGIE NIGHTS and THERE WILL BE BLOOD is going to live up to that name in a literal sense.   According to Variety, Anderson is working on his latest script titled MASTER.   Set up at Universal, the studio is planning on green lighting the film with an estimated budget of $35 million as soon as a finalized draft hits their desks.

The film, which is set to star Philip Seymour Hoffman, will center on a master of ceremonies who, in the early 1950s, creates his own religion, one that becomes quite popular throughout the country.   The story also surrounds the relationship between the “Master” and a young lieutenant in the religion who finds himself questioning his own beliefs.

According to Variety, the story is going to be more on the idea of believing in something greater rather than being a critical statement about religion or a faith-based system or even scrutinizing of recent, self-started religions like Scientology.

As soon as a deal is finalized, we will let you know, but this sounds like a project right up Anderson’s alley, who (pun intended) struck a motherload with the subject matter he found in THERE WILL BE BLOOD.   Some claim that to be his best film to date, and it’s not without merit.   The fact that he is returning to a period piece centering around the ideas of religion in America doesn’t seem like a coincidence.