Paul Thomas Anderson's Scientology Flick Goes Off the Rails

Sad to say, but Paul Thomas Anderson's film "The Master," which was to be based on L. Ron Hubbard and his Church of Scientology, has hit a massive roadblock.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman was set to star as the Hubbard-esque "Master," with Jeremy Renner as his apprentice in what would've been PTA's first film since "There Will Be Blood."

"I was really bummed about that," Jeremy Renner told Total Film. "It really kind of stalled because when we were rehearsing — Phil (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), Paul and myself — we kept coming up against a wall that we couldn't overcome. Or at least Paul couldn't overcome."

We're sorely disappointed by this turn of events, but we can't say we're terribly surprised. Anderson's take on Scientology was almost sure to be critical, and would've made working in Hollywood increasingly difficult for him and all the film's stars.

Furthermore, the Church of Scientology is famously litigious, quick to take legal action against anyone they feel is slandering their faith or its followers.

Renner's bad news merely confirmed what Hoffman recently hinted to while doing press for his directorial debut, "Jack Goes Boating."

"I don't have any new information [about 'The Master']. I really mean that, I'm not being obtuse," Hoffman recently told The Playlist. "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."

We love Hoffman, and Renner's turn in "The Town" convinced us that his work in "The Hurt Locker" wasn't just a bit of dumb luck.

Oh, well...

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