Cruise Has 'Issues' with New Scientology-Based Film

Tom Cruise is the de facto head of Scientology’s Hollywood contingent.

So when director Paul Thomas Anderson created “The Master,” a new film built around a figure with similarities to Scientology leader L. Ron Hubbard, Anderson decided to screen the film for Cruise.

So … did Cruise give the film a thumbs or down, in homage to the old “Siskel & Ebert” review roundup?

Well, Cruise apparently has “issues” with the film, which was teased recently at the Cannes Film Festival. Those issues remain unknown, although Anderson’s previous ties to Cruise (they worked together on “Magnolia”) probably ensured their post-screening discussion was amicable at the very least.

Anderson, who has wowed critics with films like “There Will Be Blood” and “Boogie Nights,” cast Philip Seymour Hoffman to play the Hubbard-esque role. 

“The Master” hits theaters Oct. 12. It will be interesting to see if the theatrical version of the film will be changed in any way between now and then.

One wonders if filmmakers working on Christian-themed projects will be so willing to vet them to prominent Hollywood theologians.