Filmmaker to Spill Scientology Story
His defection from the Church of Scientology's celebrity coterie was big news in 2009, and now writer and director Paul Haggis is following up with a detailed exploration of his former organization, in the form of a book collaboration with journalist Lawrence Wright.
His defection from the Church of Scientology’s celebrity coterie was big news in 2009, and now writer and director Paul Haggis is following up with a detailed exploration of his former organization, in the form of a book collaboration with journalist Lawrence Wright. –KA
Wait, before you go…Gawker:
New Yorker staff writer and Looming Tower author Lawrence Wright is writing what his agent calls “the most profound reckoning to date” with Scientology, told through the eyes of director and apostate Paul Haggis. This should be good.
Haggis spent 35 years as a Scientologist before angrily and publicly ditching the cult in 2009 after he became convinced that leader David Miscavige is a violent nut. He hasn’t spoken publicly about Scientology since, but a “blown” celebrity (to use the Scientological term for leaving the fold) like Haggis is Scientology’s worst possible nightmare—it can smear and threaten rank-and-file detractors all it wants, but when one of its former leading lights is making the charges, it’s harder to strike back.
If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.
Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.
Support Truthdig
Audiences tend to view apocalyptic stories as fantasy. Bong Joon-ho's landmark film makes the case that we're already living in a dystopia.
This year's telecast showed signs of progress—now the Academy Awards producers need to get audiences to tune in again.
“It was too predictable, too white and too boring,” says founder of a website devoted to awards show news.
Another public debate has erupted on Twitter about the need for diversity in the entertainment industry—with the author as instigator.
Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman," Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood" and Sam Mendes' "1917" each earn 10 nods apiece.
The interracial road trip drama, directed by Peter Farrelly, has been dismissed by some as an outdated inversion of "Driving Miss Daisy."
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.