New teaser trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master with Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman

Another teaser trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson’s THE MASTER has hit the net and features our first look at Philip Seymour Hoffman as Lancaster Dodd, a World War II veteran who founds his own religion as a result of his experiences there.  Joaquin Phoenix plays Freddie Sutton, a drifter who takes to Dodd, eventually becoming his right-hand man.  The trailer also shows us the first footage of Amy Adams as Dodd’s wife, Mary Sue Dodd. 

Check it out:

This just looks awesome to me.  Anderson is an acquired taste for many, but man, if he doesn’t know how to pull out some amazing performances from his cast. This looks to be a powerhouse from Phoenix and Hoffman, two actors who can eat up the screen.  It’s really a brilliant pairing and I can’t wait to see these guys give it their all in the finished film. 

Here’s a brief synopsis:

A 1950s-set drama centered on the relationship between a charismatic intellectual known as “the Master” whose faith-based organization begins to catch on in America, and a young drifter who becomes his right-hand man.

The film is meant to be a psuedo-take on L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, but based on the way the film is shaping up in the teasers, it seems like it will be more about the relationship between Dodd and Sutton and less about the religious aspect.  You can color me compelled, because I’ll see this no matter which direction it goes, simply for the performances alone.

THE MASTER opens on October 12, 2012.