comment #1

Matthew Starr says ...

PTA has become the director's version of DDL.

comment #2

actionman says ...

major bummer

comment #3

Travis Crabtree says ...

You know how so many of you feel when you find out that an actor or director you like turns out to be an evil conservative?

That's kind of how I feel when I find out someone I admire turns out to be a kook-ball Scientologist.

comment #4

Krillian says ...

I really hope this project happens.

comment #5

Barnes78 says ...

Hate to say it but my opinion of Elisabeth Moss plummeted when i found out she's a Scientologist.

I've also noticed more and more cars in Pasadena with the Scientology symbol on the back of the car. It's unsettling. Pasadena could be fully overtaken within a few weeks.

comment #6

Amateur Seasalt Gatherer says ...

Of all the projects out there that could have gone under, why did it have to be this one?

comment #7

George Prager says ...

Beck's records suck now. The Gainsborg CD is good though.

comment #8

corey3rd says ...

I'm more disturbed to find out someone is a Palin freak instead of an L. Ron Dupe. At least I know L Ron's people brainwash - there's no excuse for why someone thinks Palin is the new Messiah.

comment #9

raygo says ...

Glenn Beck has a CD?

comment #10

JeffC says ...

This came close to ruining my week but I'm not too concerned. I'm guessing Renner was not working for Paul in rehearsal. It's not like he wants to starts shooting and have to pull a miracle Paul Dano out of his ass again a week into production.

After seeing Renner in The Town last night I don't doubt he could give PTA exactly what he needed but clearly something didn't click. Even fans online wanted someone younger for Freddy. Renner's almost 40. Franco's only 32.

This movie must happen! The time is so right for PTA to give Hoffman a Plainview character. Right now he needs something even meatier than Capote.

comment #11

nightheat says ...

I used to be anti-scientology before the logic alarm in my brain went off, and figured out that scientology isn't any less ludicrous than any other religion. Yeah yeah, scientology "destroy's lives". Well Priests molest children, and the pope covers it up. This is why I pretend to be a Scientologist, it pisses people off.

comment #12

Ray DeRousse says ...

Xenu wins again.

comment #13

dinovelvet says ...

Coincidence that Renner recently signed on to MI4?

comment #14

LexG says ...

People love to bash Scientology, but how bad could it really be? Tom Cruise is the awesomest guy in the world, and much as everybody likes to make jokes about his antics or whatever beliefs, he's still pretty obviously shrewd and likable-- I highly doubt a family-man movie-star with Cruise's accessible all-American vibe is or would take part in a "cult" that's really scary or dangerous.

CRUISE POWER.

comment #15

Barnes78 says ...

Here you go Lex. Enjoy. And no, this isn't a mock. This is from a Scientology awards shindig that honored Cruise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFBZ_uAbxS0

comment #16

LexG says ...

Yeah, I've seen it a million times. It's awesome. And technically the music is BIZKIT, so even better. Again, he rules.

comment #17

Barnes78 says ...

Lex if you want to see an even better Scientology promotional video, hit up the center on Sunset (yes, the big ass center). The 25 minute orientation video is probably one of the best things I've seen in my entire life. Go with friends.

comment #18

JeffC says ...

PTA returns in 6 months to shoot his "scientology" movie. More of a Battlefield Earth thing, funded by Cruise. Could be awesome.

Anime

comment #19

The InSneider says ...

Just called River Road this morning. They said they're not involved in the project and will not be financing...

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/pt-andersons-scientology-film-postponed-indefinitely-21000

comment #20

lazespud says ...

Just looking for clarification here; PTA isn't a scientologist is he? This was just gonna be a movie about the origins of the quasi-religion, right? Am I missing something? It seems like some are assuming he's somehow a scientologist.. but I don't think that's true, right?

Also, Elizabeth Moss is a scientologist? Fuck. That utterly bums me the fuck out.

comment #21

JeffC says ...

I'm pretty sure no one on this board thinks PTA is a scientologist.

Shame River Road is out. I don't see PTA behind the camera on anything until next summer. Bummer.

comment #22

Barnes78 says ...

Spud, Moss is a scientologist. I found out a couple of weeks ago. It ruined my weekend. Poor 'ole Peggy's been taken from us.

comment #23

Smedley says ...

Of all the cool movies rumored for next year, this was my absolute number one. It is probably for the best. He is on a MAJOR roll - I would prefer to wait than get something less than stellar.

comment #24

DiscoNap says ...

Who gives a shit about whether someone is a Scientologist? Seriously. They should be what, a Catholic?

comment #25

Thunderballs says ...

agree with nightheat. When you talk about Scientology, it sounds ludicrous, but then you start talking about Islam, or Christianity, and you realize how ludicrous they all sound as well. Shame Jesus never wrote any sci-fi novels.

comment #26

Homie Cat says ...

Judging by this thread I guess Scientology's years of hard work is starting to pay dividends in Hollywood; they're becoming acceptable.

comment #27

AH says ...

How is Scientology any different from any other religion? Moses parted the Red Sea, Jesus fed 5,000 people from one piece of bread and Mohammed traveled through the seven heavens in one night. Is anything in Scientology more ridiculous than this?

comment #28

Edward says ...

Jesus didn't write science fiction, He lived it!

comment #29

AH says ...

Jesus could write?

comment #30

Xenu says ...

Like many of you, I believed Scientology was just a kooky religion. But's it not. It's a dangerous cult. Here's just a few of Scientology's highlights:

In 1976, a group Scientologists broke into FBI offices, tapped their phones, and stole documents. They were later caught and convicted. Hubbard sold his wife down the river, claiming it was all her idea; she wound up doing time. Nice guy, that Ron.

Also, look into Operation Freakout, where Scientologists stole stationery from a critic, Paulette Cooper, then used it to write a bomb threat. Cooper was arrested and spent time in prison before the ruse was discovered. Hubbard's stated goal was to silence all critics by having them incarcerated or committed to mental hospitals.

Then there's the money angle. The Catholic Church doesn't charge a dime to hear the story of Jesus, but to hear the story of Xenu, it'll cost you $100,000. No other religion charges you to hear their origin story; you can find the Bible in every hotel room in this country.

As for Scientology's benefits, Hubbard claimed that Scientology could cure everything from radiation poisoning to arthritis. In fact, it'll cure whatever ails you - that's part of the sales pitch. But to look at John Travolta and Kirstie Alley, it appears that Scientology can't even help with weight loss.

There's no question that Travolta's son would be alive today had he received the proper medication (which Scientology forbids). Jett Travolta's death is one of several medical related deaths linked to Scientology; there have been murders (Jeremy Perkins) and suicides (Noah Lottick) as well.

How about Scientology's disconnection policy? They insist you disconnect from any family or friends that are critical of the church. If Scientology isn't working (i.e. your arthritis isn't going away), it's because you've got Suppressive People in your life. Get rid of the Suppressive People and you'll be cured. I realize this sounds nuts, but Hubbard's brainwashing techniques were brilliant. By the time you reach Level IV (the Xenu story), he's got you primed to believe anything.

Here's another goodie: in the 90's when the internet was coming of age, the L.A. branch of Scientology gave out discs to their members that allowed them to create cookie-cutter pro-Scientology websites on their home computers. Unbeknownst to the members, this disc also installed Net Nanny software, effectively blocking out any sites that were critical of the church.

This is just the tip of the iceberg; there's more, lots more. I'll leave the rest for you to discover, but check out www.xenu.net and make up your own mind about Scientology. Mark Bunker's You Tube channel is also a great source of information: www.youtube.com/user/xenutv1

As bad as mainstream religions can be (I'm a devout atheist), nothing even comes close to the abuses of Scientology.

And Lex G, when the Scientologists tell you they can help you grow your hair back, don't believe them; after all, Travolta is mostly bald.

comment #31

LFF says ...

Might be a good time to dig out my copy of Todd Haynes SAFE and watch it again. The balance on that movie seems to tip further away from funny towards scary with every passing year.

comment #32

dogcatcher says ...

I find it interesting that Renner said, "at least Paul couldn't overcome." What is he talking about?

comment #33

dogcatcher says ...

It seems a bit of a slap against PTA, no?

comment #34

dogcatcher says ...

The Long Way Down (One Last Thing)...

I think it was a huge mistake when Paul took this project to CAA. They doomed it.

comment #35

Deathtongue_Groupie says ...

To equate Scientology with other religions is pretty naive. And wrong, since mostly what they are is a cult.

I have no problem with people believing whatever it is that gets them through the days and nights. But I have a big, big problem when it involves the suppression of free will. Not to mention all the thuggish behavior this "church" has engaged in over the years. It's depressing to think just how many people could have been helped by the old Cult Awareness Network had the Scientologists not sued them into bankruptcy.

As far as otherwise intelligent seeming actors like Moss getting sucked into it, pretty much everyone of them lacks a full college education which would have given them the critical thinking skills that would have exposed all the various ways such cults ensnare the unsuspecting. I'm sure they are out there, but every single Scientologist I've come across lacks a degree.

comment #36

Xenu says ...

That's exactly right, DeathTongue. Scientology now owns and operates the Cult Awareness Network. If you call CAN, you're talking to a Scientologist.

Also watch out for:

Applied Scholastics
Citizens Commission on Human Rights
Concerned Businessman's Association of America
Foundation for Religious Freedom
Narconon
Criminon
Way to Happiness
WISE

These are Scientology front groups that distribute materials that are essentially indoctrination into Scientology jargon. TScientologists push them on local businesses,. ocal government, and worst of all, schools.

comment #37

crazynine says ...

we kept coming up against a wall that we couldn't overcome. Or at least Paul couldn't overcome."

That wall is, of course, The Shadow Lobby of Scientology, heh.

They're so powerful, they can not only stop an Oscar-winning director from making a movie, they can get Battlefield: Earth made. THAT'S leverage, folks.

Anyway... RE: the kookiness of Scientology... while it's true that *all* religions are by definition kooky at their core, I judge all religions on a simple scale of theological maturity: how do they react when you want to leave?

The Jews and Hindus are in the clear. Buddhists are chill. Catholicism has some management problems, but the faithful are free to only show up to sing on two days a year and still get called "Catholic." Christian Evangelicals only need to go to college and get drunk & laid and they forget all about the Jesus Lizards, alienating their parents but otherwise emerging unscathed. Many Muslims are cool, but too many are stuck in their idealized fantasy of the 13th Century and love to jihad against dhimmi infidels, so they're out. Mormons are odd yet too freakin' nice, but you're fine the moment you leave Utah (which unless off-roading or skiing is not a moment too soon).

The Scientologists? Forget about ever bailing. They have your credit card number, pal.

The way I see it, the Scientologists are trying to get away with what other Western faiths did... oh, about 500 years ago. You don't get to do that in 2010, guys. You can worship old crazy shit out of polite tradition, you can't invent NEW crazy shit and expect people to excuse it.

Never join a religion you can never leave.

comment #38

dogcatcher says ...

The script wasn't really that anti-Scientology anyway. There were no eureka moments where you say, "this guy is a total fraud." It does show you some of the inside stuff, which is silly to an outsider I guess, but that's it. At the end (SPOILERS) Freddie seems to rejoin.

Here's my thing: if this religion is so up and up, and at par with all other crazy religions, why is it so secretive?

Also, I love how the biggest defense of their religion seems to be, "other religions are crazy too."

comment #39

Xenu says ...

I think the "wall" he's talking about is Scientology's litigious nature. In 1991, when Time Magazine published a scathing article about Scientology, the church sued for $416 million. The case lasted ten years and went all the way to the Supreme Court, where Scientology's appeal was denied.

Nevertheless, why would any studio, production company, or private financier risk the wrath of Scientology over a movie? Even if the case is eventually thrown out, it'll linger on forever and cost millions.

comment #40

Xenu says ...

Dogcatcher -

The reason Scientology is so secretive is because you'd bail on them if you heard the story of Xenu before they've fucked with your mind. Once you're in and conditioned, you're ready to hear all about Xenu, engrams, and more. Hubbard said if you hear the story before you're ready, it could kill you, literally.

comment #41

Markj74 says ...

Tommy Davis is one of the most loathsome people on the planet.

comment #42

Steven Kar says ...

David Miscavige as well.

comment #43

LexG says ...

Yikes.

I'm not a Scientologist but I think it has some interesting facets. I'm not gonna join up but I respect Cruise endlessly and maintain that a great guy like that wouldn't be a part of something as ruthless and shady as the stuff posted above. I believe he's sincere in wanting people to better understand it, and I think a lot of people are genuinely curious about it. I won't lie, I've considered looking into it MANY TIMES, both out of my respect for Cruise and Travolta, but just as something that might give one an edge to truly succeed in life, a la Tony Robbins or something. Of course, it sounds way more intensive than anything I'd want to really sign up for, and I'm not religious, but I'm not gonna slander anybody for exercising their rights, and with as much New Age nonsense as is prevalent in Hollywood and L.A., I fail to see how this is any more sinister than a whole city where dumb-ass flighty, flaky office temps read THEIR CHART and go to charlatan psychics and shit. Live and let live.

CRUISE POWER.

comment #44

dogcatcher says ...

I think Cruise has a Napoleonic complex, a serious for-real personality disorder, which he hides now because the last time it bubbled to the surface (in 2005), and people saw what he was really like, it nearly ruined his career.

I think Cruise is ignorant and uneducated, but he is wealthy and famous having achieved mega-success as an actor. As a result, as he got older, he "needed" to feel important in some type of social arena to feed his growing sense of self-importance. Given his general ignorance, he probably felt out of place among the various elite outside of Hollywood. So as his stock within this religion-cult grew it fed this need he possessed.

I don't think Tom Cruise would be a Scientologist at all if he were simply a layman member. It's because he holds such a revered position that he has committed himself to it.

The attraction for Tom Cruise is adulation, not spiritual awakening.

comment #45

dogcatcher says ...

P.S. I'm also thinking that this PTA film was at least somewhat responsible for the break up of Fred Arminsen's marriage to Elizabeth Moss.

Some of you may recall that two years ago or so PTA and Arminsen put on a play where Fred (aka "Freddie") was marrying a Scientologist and agreed to be audited. The play was a comedy but PTA wrote (along with Arminsen) and directed it. It was after this that he began working on THE MASTER. It was around the time news of this film was made public that they split.

I think the notion that Scientologists are trying VERY HARD to relay on the internets today that they didn't care about this movie and it collapsed under its own weight is complete bullshit.

comment #46

Caged Horse says ...

Not to excuse Scientology and its sinister machinations in the least, but even Buddhists can be as crazy and dangerous as any other fundamentalist... Google "Aum Shinrikyo".

comment #47

nightheat says ...

If someone chooses to be a Scientologist, its none of your fucking business. You can list off a ton of reasons why Christianity is just as dangerous/oppressive. Starting with their political influence and all the implications that come with that. Scientology is harmless compared to those holy-war starting anti-homosexual indoctrinate every child motherfuckers. I hate organized religion equally, and if you're going to say Scientology is the worst of the bunch you're way off the mark.

comment #48

Homie Cat says ...

Oh, fuck off you hateful, ignorant, twat.

comment #49

Seanaramadingdong says ...

nightheat: i agree with your comments about our religions are an act of out own business. I suppose it it also true in you world view of those who f%%k their own moms. Now I am christian, (which is my own business, mind you) but I would rather be gay than being accused of f**k ing my own m*m. (Once again, your words)

Homie Cat: Who is the hateful, ignorant twat? And you don't have to use a comma to separate an adjective and a noun (and a beautiful noun at that).

And finally JW: Glad I read the article. Shocked it was about the postponement of PTA's new film. I thought is was about how they were moving the crew to Texas.

comment #50

The Bandsaw Vigilante says ...

Though, you've got to hand it to the Scientologists. They definitely have the most entertaining religion.

Hydrogen bombs, volcanoes, and evil aliens? Let me know when it's out for the Xbox 360.

comment #51

ZayTonday says ...

Just wanted to chime in and let you less informed people know that Scientology is not "just like every other religion". All it takes is a bit of googling to find proof of that. The Scientology organization is bitter to the core. The best way I've heard it described is a mix between Amway and the mafia. The way they record people's information during the audits only to blackmail members into not leaving as well as leveraging their personal relationships through getting them to cut off all contact with you if you are out of line is reprehensible, not to mention the slave labor they get from their Sea Org and RPF.

comment #52

Travis Crabtree says ...

Hey nightheat.... let's hear you say some really nasty things about Islam.

You know, because it, too, is a religion and all, just like the others.

Bet you won't.

Pussy.

comment #53

Kakihara says ...

Why not just get the adaptation rights to Stranger in a Strange Land?

comment #54

Gabe@ThePlaylist says ...

Have some of you never met an actor? A good 50% of them are just as deluded, myopic and gleefully oblivious as him.

comment #55

Xenu says ...

Lex,

You're right, Cruise isn't involved with any shady and illegal Scientology activities. Celebrities are treated very differently from rank and file members.

Cruise is shielded from the ugliness and kept in the dark. Most of Cruise's personal staff are Scientologists, handpicked by the church; it wouldn't surprise me if Cruise's own personal computer has Net Nanny software surreptitiously installed on it.

I imagine two scenarios for Cruise:

1) He's truly sincere in his beliefs, but only because he's been brainwashed.

2) He wants out, but has no choice. Cruise got into Scientology around '86, so there's hours and hours of auditing sessions that were taped without his knowledge.

Former Scientologists have described meetings where David Miscavige read the transcripts of Cruise's auditing sessions aloud, mocking Cruise as he went. Miscavige has access to Cruise's deepest, darkest secrets; if Cruise renounces Scientology, Scientology will hit back and hard.

While it seems he's got the ideal life, the truth is, he's the prisoner of a cult. Cruise may be rich, famous, and good looking, but he doesn't have one thing you and I take for granted: free will.

So why not switch your allegiance to Brad Pitt? He's got the hotter wife, a solid resume, and the good sense avoid to Scientology (he took a few courses while dating Juliette Lewis, but apparently thought it was garbage and bailed). Plus, I hear he's got great weed.

comment #56

Mr. F. says ...

For everyone talking about Elizabeth Moss being a Scientologist, here's some breaking news:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/celebrity.news.gossip/09/21/fred.armisen.divorce.ppl/index.html?hpt=Sbin

Just announced a split with Fred Armisen. Didn't take long.

comment #57

nightheat says ...

why would I bash Islam? Islam rules just as hard as Scientology does. Its Christianity that's evil.

comment #58

Homie Cat says ...

See, I thought you had some kind of point trapped in a little air bubble in the bile that constitutes most of your post. Hateful and rancid perhaps, but a real viewpoint in there nevertheless.

But nope, you're just trolling. Thanks for completely outing yourself though. Now I can automatically relegate your post to the level of the shoe spammers and skip right over them.

Cheers!