Screen Junkies » philip seymour hoffman

The Victors Must Be Eradicated In ‘Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ Trailer

Wookie Johnson — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:34:09 +0000

Jennifer Lawrence is back as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Since we last saw Katniss, she’s now famous for proving her efficiency at murdering teenagers as well as her talent for putting a middle finger in the face of the Capitol. This doesn’t sit well with Donald Sutherland‘s cartoon-evil President Snow and he intends to do something about it. Like beating random old men in front of hundreds of witnesses. That’s really going to hurt the old man vote.

Though the real news here is the addition of Philip Seymour Hoffman to the series. He steps in for Wes Bentley as Plutarch Heavensbee, the new Head Gamemaker tasked with killing off Katniss and the other victors. Regrettably, he doesn’t wear a silly wig or beard. I guess there’s only so much money the studio could drive up to his house.

Master Of Scares Philip Seymour Hoffman To Direct Ghost Story ‘Ezekiel Moss’

Wookie Johnson — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 14:42:12 +0000

With Jack Goes Boating underneath his directing belt, Philip Seymour Hoffman is once again stepping behind the camera, and this time the project will appeal to not only boating enthusiasts. THR reports Hoffman will direct Ezekial Moss, a supernatural drama that appeared on the 2011 Black List.

The story centers on a mysterious stranger who can speak to the dead. His arrival in a small town has a profound effect on the residents, particularly a widow and her young son. No word yet whether or not Hoffman will play the role of the mysterious ghost whisperer. If so, he’s setting himself up for failure. Those are some mighty big shoes to fill.

Gosling’s The Guy Behind The Guy In ‘The Ides Of March’ Trailer

Wookie Johnson — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 12:24:24 +0000

6 photosMarisa Tomei

Ryan Gosling learns that politics aren’t all just fun and intern sex in the trailer for George Clooney‘s The Ides Of March. Sure, there is some fun and intern sex to be had, but there’s also hard moral decisions and dirty pool. The story is loosely based on the primary run of Howard Dean, and follows Gosling as he uses tactics he disagrees with to try to get Clooney the Democratic nomination over Philip Seymour Hoffman‘s rival senator Paul Giamatti also stars as Hoffman’s campaign manager, Marisa Tomei plays a New York Times reporter, and Evan Rachel Wood plays the intern with whom it is fun to have sex.

PT Anderson’s Scientology Movie Is ‘The Master’ Again

Joseph Gibson — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 04:03:03 +0000

For the past few weeks, you’ve been reading various entertainment news outlets clumsily referring to director Paul Thomas Anderson’s Scientology movie as”Paul Thomas Anderson’s Scientology movie,” “Paul Thomas Anderson’s formerly titled The Master project,” “Paul Thomas Anderson’s strike for Xenu’s forces,” etc. Well, friends, that dark period of our nation’s history is finally over, as the movie is now back to officially being titled The Master.

7 photosAmy Adams

Now that that’s out of the way, I can report that The Master (ah, that feels good) has added two new actors to its cast: Josh Close and Fiona Dourif. Josh Close is said to be playing one of lead Philip Seymour Hoffman’s character’s disciples. Fiona Dourif (daughter of actor Brad Dourif), is playing an undisclosed part. They’re both also joining Amy Adams and Joaquin Phoenix in the movie.

The good news here is that when Close and Dourif call up their parents to tell them the good news, they can just say they’re in The Master, not “the Scientology movie” or whatever. Just The Master. (Variety)

Pitt Out To Prove There Can Be Math, And Crying, In Baseball

Col. Longshanks — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 17:30:14 +0000

Sony has dropped the trailer for Bennett Miller‘s Moneyball. Based on the book by Michael Lewis, Brad Pitt plays Billy Beane, who, with the help on Paul De Podesta (Jonah Hill), used fancy mathematics to help the Oakland A’s not suck. Philip Seymour Hoffman makes an appearance in the trailer as A’s coach Art Howe, but he doesn’t say a damn thing. Was Art Howe a mute, or did he just employ a controversial coaching method?

The film looks like it has all the makings of a sports underdog story. There is laughter, tears, guys being chummy, chairs being thrown, and a slow-motion home run hit. Pitt handles all of these things well, except the homer. He leaves that to the guys with less attractive features.

Madisen Beaty Receives Orders From Xenu

Joseph Gibson — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 18:16:37 +0000

You might remember reading about Paul Thomas Anderson’s untitled Scientology movie (formerly called The Master) casting a lot of people recently, including Amy Adams, Lena Endre, Laura Dern, and Rami Malek. Now, yet another actor with a dangerously high Thetan count has been added to the cast: From The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Madisen Beaty.

7 photosAmy Adams

Beaty was previously rumored to be attached to the project, but the character she’ll be playing is still unclear. The movie also stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix, here’s a brief plot synopsis, which you can trust because it wasn’t written by a pill-addled science fiction writer:

“Hoffman stars as a man who returns after witnessing the horrors of WWII and tries to rediscover who he is in post-war America. He creates a belief system, something that catches on with other lost souls.”

Man, I should start a belief system. Lot of money in that. (The Film Stage)

Paul Thomas Anderson Brainwashes Rami Malek Into His Cult

Geoffrey Golden — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 22:35:29 +0000

The potentially-Scientology bashing movie from Paul Thomas Anderson sounds very intriguing. So far, the cast of the movie formerly known as The Master includes Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, Laura Dern and Amy Adams. Now, another actor has been indoctrinated and thetan-scanned.

7 photosAmy Adams

Rami Malek (HBO’s”The Pacific“) has signed on to play Hoffman’s son-in-law in the film. Hoffman is the “prophet” behind the kooky cult. This gig comes to Malek after getting thoroughly Twilighted in Breaking Dawn, which just recently wrapped shooting. Filming begins on the untitled religious drama this month.

Megan Ellison‘s Annapurna Pictures is financing and The Weinstein Company will distribute. (Variety)

PT Anderson Dooms Jesse Plemons And David Warshofsky To Life On The Run From Scientologists

Wookie Johnson — Tue, 31 May 2011 21:13:13 +0000

6 photosAimee Teegarden

With his film The Master saved from the blazes of Development Hell thanks to that cool billionaire chick, PT Anderson is ready to cast that sumbitch up. There’s news today that Jesse Plemons “Friday Night Lights“) and David Warshofsky (There Will Be Blood) have joined the cast as characters who may or may not be bludgeoned with a bowling pin.

Plemons will play the son of Philip Seymour Hoffman‘s cult leader and Warshofsky will play a detective in the Scientology-skewering film. These are undoubtedly career-boosting roles in a sure-to-be high profile film. Good for them. Too bad they’ll never work in this town again. (Variety)

Joaquin Phoenix Aligns Self With P.T. Anderson And Xenu

Joseph Gibson — Mon, 09 May 2011 20:22:18 +0000

Paul Thomas Anderson’s Scientology movie (previously titled The Master, now untitled) will probably court a fair amount of controversy. And who better than Joaquin Phoenix to be at the forefront of that controversy, since he himself has never shamelessly provoked controversy in order to attract attention to himself.

Phoenix is joining Philip Seymour Hoffman in the titular role, and the movie, which is still being funded by Megan Ellison, starts shooting in June. By the way, Anderson has made some pretty drastic changed to the script (including the aforementioned title change) – here’s a new plot synopsis:

“Hoffman stars as a man who returns after witnessing the horrors of WWII and tries to rediscover who he is in post-war America. He creates a belief system, something that catches on with other lost souls.”

So it looks like the Scientology influence is still there, but maybe it’s been downplayed slightly? I guess we’ll have to wait and see to find out. Hail Xenu! (Deadline)

Hoffman And HBO To Bring Us ‘Upstate’

Dave Horwitz — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 16:16:35 +0000

Phillip Seymour Hoffman and HBO are teaming up again. In 2005, the actor appeared in the Emmy nominated movie, Empire Falls, and just last year his production shingle Cooper’s Town set up a drama project with the network, based on Samantha Peale’s novel”The American Painter Emma Dial.” Now, he’s teaming up with frequent collaborator Bob Glaudini (Jack Goes Boating) and”Hung” writer Brett C. Leonard on “Upstate,” a new drama about a recently fired man who moves his family to a rural town to be an officer at a new for profit private prison. Roy eventually encounters “conflict and danger inside and outside the prison walls.”

Uh oh, could small town life be less innocent than it seems? Could there be a darkness lurking in the shadows of suburbia? Someone alert Alan Ball! Sound the Arcade Fire Alarm! Get me The Chumscrubber! And of course, my real opinion is, Hoffman’s a smart man with interesting taste who makes strong choices. This sounds very promising. (Deadline)

George Clooney Wants Ryan Gosling To Be His Man In ‘Farragut North’

Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

^{Gosling bites his thumb at Clooney’s on-set dress code.}

George Clooney is stepping behind the camera again for Farragut North and he wants Ryan Gosling to be his leading man. Based on Howard Dean’s 2004 campaign, Farragut North details the shady practices and backstabbings that take place in order for a candidate to get a nom. No stranger to nom-nom-noms, Venom-hopeful Philip Seymour Hoffman is on board as the boss of Gosling’s political mastermind character.

Leonardo DiCaprio was once connected to the role, and then Chris Pine was expected to step in after bringing down the house in the play version. But in the end, it looks like it’s Gosling’s for the taking. No fair. He gets to be in a great movie AND Rachel McAdams. (Deadline)

P.T. Anderson’s Scientology Movie Postponed Indefinitely

Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

_{Look what you’re doing to Paul!!!}

Jeremy Renner just gave us all one ticket to Bummersville. The actor recently revealed to Total Film that The Master has come to a grinding halt:

"I was really bummer 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.

I’m sure he didn’t mean for that to sound like a burn, but what a buuuuuuuurn. Jeremy could overcome it, Paul? Why the hell couldn’t you?

At the press junket for Jack Goes Boating, Philip Seymour Hoffman also confirmed that the project is currently whack:

"I don’t have any new information ‘The Master‘]. I really mean that, I’m not being obstuse. 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."

I was really looking forward to Anderson’s take on The Cause — his made up word for Scientology — and Hoffman portraying a version of L. Ron Hubbard, the author of the classic novel Battlefield Earth. Everyone keep your fingers crossed so tightly that they bleed. It’s the only way this project may get back on track. (ThePlaylist)

Casting Shortlist for P.T. Anderson’s Scientology Movie

Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

_{Always go with the vampire.}

P.T Anderson’s untitled Scientology movie is looking for a daughter for Philip Seymour Hoffman‘s character, and none of the prospects are bearded or slovenly. According to Production Weekly, Amanda Seyfriend, Emma Stone, and "True Blood‘s" fiery redhead Deborah Ann Woll are all on P.T.’s casting shortlist, a list that I imagine is scrolled in ash or bodily fluid because why would he use boring ink.

PW also reported last week that Reese Witherspoon had been offered the role of the mom. I suppose if you add her genes to the mix, one of the above girls is a viable candidate, but we better at least see the occasional mustard stain to be convinced Hoffman is Papa. (ThePlaylist)

P.T. Anderson To Skewer Scientology?

Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

"NOM. NOM. NOM."

Paul Thomas Anderson has announced that his next project will be entitled, The Master. He’s cast his portly muse Philip Seymour Hoffman in the lead role as a charismatic man who creates his own cult religion. Many assume that this film will damn Scientology but Variety is quick to report:

“The drama does not so much scrutinize self-started churches like Scientology or the Mormons, as much as it explores the need to believe in a higher power … and the point at which a belief system graduates into a religion.”

Sounds interesting though I’m not too sure about the casting. Philip Seymour Hoffman is a great actor but I don’t buy him as a guy who founded a church. A Church’s Fried Chicken perhaps*, but not a church. (Variety)

_{*he’s fat}

The Master

Reza F. — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:54:50 +0000

Director: P.T. Anderson

Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman

Pirate Radio

Reza F. — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:10:40 +0000

Director: Richard Curtis

Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Nick Frost

Synopsis: A period comedy about an illegal radio station in the North Sea in the 1960′s.