Phoenix in talks for role in Anderson film

LOS ANGELES, April 13 (UPI) -- Hollywood actor Joaquin Phoenix, who is resuming his career after a two-year break, is in talks to appear in Paul Thomas Anderson's next film, EW.com said.

Anderson is developing an as-yet-untitled film about the founding of a new religion in the 1950s.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who worked with Anderson on "Boogie Nights" and "Magnolia," is expected to play the faith's founder, while Phoenix would play his main disciple, EW.com said.

Phoenix, a two-time Oscar nominee for "Gladiator" and "Walk the Line," announced he was retiring from acting two years ago to concentrate on his nascent rap music career. The decision turned out to be part of an elaborate hoax captured on the mock documentary "I'm Still Here," which was released in 2010.