Joaquin Phoenix Comes Out of Retirement. Probably.

Not the Unibomber. 

This, friends, was Joaquin Phoenix for a while. Remember when he was all “I’M QUITTING ACTING TO BECOME A RAP STAR AND I’M MAKING A RIDICULOUS FARCE OF A MOVIE WITH MY BROTHER-IN-LAW CASEY AFFLECK AND I’M GOING TO ACT LIKE A FREAK ON LETTERMAN!”

Well, it seems like Joaquin Phoenix may be trying to shed that horrifying mistake and returning to acting. Paul Thomas Anderson, the genius behind There Will Be Blood, is set to make an anti-Scientology movie being referred to as The Master, but also as Untitled Religious Drama for now. According to Variety, “[the script] chronicles a disaffected disciple’s relationship with the founder of a new faith that closely mirrors Scientology.
Hoffman will play Lancaster Dodd, a charismatic intellectual known as The Master, while Phoenix would play Freddie Sutton, an alcholic drifter who becomes his right-hand man only to begin questioning his manipulative mentor.”

The interesting thing here is that I actually think this would be a really great career move for Joaquin Phoenix. The topic certainly will ruffle some Hollywood feather, since, you know, there are many many celebrity Scientologists. But for Phoenix, he may actually have a lot to bring to the table. He was raised by parents who were a part of The Children of God movement, so he may have lot of personal experience with a cult-like culture to help pour himself into this role. 

He needs a winner to bring his career out of, well, the toilet. Not #winning, Charlie Sheen has cornered the market on that. A winner. I hope he gets it.