Tom Cruise Unhappy with P.T. Anderson's Cult Drama The Master

Here’s the first teaser trailer for The Master starring Joaquin Phoenix and Phillip Seymour Hoffman in a period piece set after World War II:

via Tom Cruise, other Scientology members dislike portrayal of a cult leader in new film ‘The Master’ – NY Daily News:

Tom Cruise’s fellow Scientology members would like to master “The Master.”

A source familiar with Paul Thomas Anderson ’s film about the founder of a Scientology-like religious movement tells us officials of the controversial church group “hit the roof” when they learned — presumably through Cruise — that the movie contains a scene which suggests the belief system was little more than a product of the leader’s fertile imagination.

In May, Anderson, who is friends with Cruise and directed him in “Magnolia,” the 1999 film that earned Cruise a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination — reportedly screened his film for the “Rock of Ages” star.

“The Master” is said to be loosely based on the life of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, and stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as Lancaster Dodd, the founder of a 1950s religious movement called The Cause.

Anderson is one of my favorite filmmakers. Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love, and There Will Be Blood get better with each viewing. And the second teaser showcases pieces from a performance likely to earn Hoffman another Academy Award nomination:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpFzJXQMgCE