The last piece of news we heard about P.T. Anderson’s upcoming film, The Master, was that Universal had passed and the project was in search of financing in a market where very few studios are willing to take a risk. Now, the Anderson fan site Cigarettes and Red Vines has some potentially very exciting news. Apparently, they caught up with PTA recently as he attended Fred Armisen’s new show at the Largo and “it sounds like The Master is set to shoot sometime next month.” If this information is accurate, then we can assume financing has been secured somewhere and, more importantly, we can expect a new P. T. Anderson film by next year. More details should follow in the coming days.

The film, tentatively titled The Master, about a man who creates a “faith-based organization” that develops into an empire in the 1950s, already has Philip Seymour Hoffman cast in the lead role. Hoffman has been a frequent collaborator of Anderson’s and seems like the perfect fit for the role. Also, Reese Witherspoon is lined up to play the Master’s wife, and, last we heard, Jeremy Renner was in talks to play the Master’s protégé. The film has been described as a not-so-subtle take on Scientology, suggesting that Anderson will cover some of the religious themes he explored in There Will Be Blood. I’m just glad this film will (hopefully) finally get made. Every Anderson film is an event film for me and this one is no exception. How much are you looking forward to PTA’s latest?