W.

[Peter T Chattaway]

Oliver Stone votes for 'Bush' project

Oliver Stone has set his sights on his next directing project, "Bush," a film focusing on the life and presidency of George W. Bush, and attached Josh Brolin to play the title role.

The director has begun quietly shopping a script by his "Wall Street" co-writer Stanley Weiser. . . .

"It's a behind-the-scenes approach, similar to 'Nixon,' to give a sense of what it's like to be in his skin," Stone told Daily Variety. "But if 'Nixon' was a symphony, this is more like a chamber piece, and not as dark in tone. People have turned my political ideas into a cliche, but that is superficial. I'm a dramatist who is interested in people, and I have empathy for Bush as a human being, much the same as I did for Castro, Nixon, Jim Morrison, Jim Garrison and Alexander the Great."

Stone declined to give his personal opinion of the president.

"I can't give you that, because the filmmaker has to hide in the work," Stone said. "Here, I'm the referee, and I want a fair, true portrait of the man. How did Bush go from an alcoholic bum to the most powerful figure in the world? It's like Frank Capra territory on one hand, but I'll also cover the demons in his private life, his bouts with his dad and his conversion to Christianity, which explains a lot of where he is coming from. It includes his belief that God personally chose him to be president of the United States, and his coming into his own with the stunning, preemptive attack on Iraq. It will contain surprises for Bush supporters and his detractors." . . .

Variety, January 20

Edited October 16, 2008 by Peter T Chattaway

[Peter T Chattaway]

QED funding Stone's 'Bush' film

The deal -- made a week after Stone and producing partner Moritz Borman unveiled the top-secret script to buyers (Daily Variety, Jan. 21) -- means "Bush" could be in theaters by November's presidential elections, and certainly before Bush leaves the White House in January.

Variety, January 29

[Peter T Chattaway]

Oliver Stone casts parents of 'W'

Director Oliver Stone has set James Cromwell to play George Herbert Walker Bush and Ellen Burstyn to play former first lady Barbara Bush in "W," a drama about the formative years of their son, President George W. Bush.

Josh Brolin is playing the title character, and Elizabeth Banks will play first lady Laura Bush. . . .

Variety, March 26

[Peter T Chattaway]

Daddy Issues, War Lust in Oliver Stone's 'W'

Controversial Filmmaker's Early Script Depicts President Bush's Hard-Partying Youth and Feuds With His Father

ABC News, April 1

Evaluating W

A few cynical cheap-shotters wrote yesterday that the excerpts of Stanley Weiser's W script, provided yesterday in an ABC News article by Marcus Baram, led them to wonder if this was some kind of April Fool's joke. These guys are monkeys, in my opinion, and they need to reel it in. Or better yet, consider what Weiser wrote this morning in an e-mail and what I wrote back.

Jeffrey Wells, Hollywood Elsewhere, April 2

[Peter T Chattaway]

Thandie Newton, Ioan Gruffudd cast in 'W'

The Bush administration is coming together -- and adding a key ally for good measure.

Oliver Stone has found the actress to play Condoleezza Rice in his upcoming "W," with Thandie Newton in final negotiations to star as the National Security Advisor-turned-Secretary of State.

Meanwhile, Ioan Gruffudd is in final talks to play former British prime minister Tony Blair. . . .

Hollywood Reporter, April 5

[Jeff]

I hope they cast Jon Voight as Rumsfeld, the guy who played Mike Novick on 24 as Cheney, and Philip Seymour Hoffman as Karl Rove.

[Overstreet]

A fellow commenting on my blog has the best idea for Cheney I've seen yet: J.T. Walsh.

Unfortunately, that's the LATE J.T. Walsh, so it can't happen. But he would have been perfect.

[Buckeye Jones]

Slate posts bits from a script draft. Looks like pretty standard stuff--might make a decent farce.

[Peter T Chattaway]

The Hollywood Reporter has four script pages and gets four Dubya biographers to comment.

MTV Movies Blog says Rob Corddry is playing Ari Fleischer.

[theoddone33]

As good as Brolin was in No Country for Old Men... I think I've seen just about enough of George W. Bush for one lifetime.

[Peter T Chattaway]

First Look: 'W,' Oliver Stone's Bush Biopic

As it happens, Oliver Stone went to school with George W. Bush. They both attended Yale in the mid-1960s

[Darrel Manson]

The Big Picture column in LA Times talks about the script today. The actual print edition has a sidebar with a scene of dialog that makes the case pretty clear that "I can guarantee that if you think "W." will be an earnest, respectful rendering of the Bush years -- sort of like Stone Edited June 28, 2008 by Darrel Manson

[jsyarb]

Everything about this screams "extraordinarily bad idea".

[Darrel Manson]

LA Times has big article on Stone and the film today.

[Peter T Chattaway]

Watch the teaser while you can.

Who's singing 'Wonderful World' there? It sure ain't Satchmo. At any rate, an interesting nod, perhaps, to Bowling for Columbine (and, before that, Good Morning, Vietnam).

[John Drew]

Watch the teaser while you can.

Who's singing 'Wonderful World' there? It sure ain't Satchmo. At any rate, an interesting nod, perhaps, to Bowling for Columbine (and, before that, Good Morning, Vietnam).

Interesting trailer. My first thought was Andy Williams was singing "Wonderful World", but I couldn't find it listed in his discography. Of course that doesn't mean he couldn't have been persuaded to make a new recording of the song.

[Jeff]

Sigh...this is going to be a mere liberal screed.

And by the way, Josh Brolin is not exactly the first name that jumps to mind when I think of "actors who look like George Bush"...I don't claim to know whether he'll turn in a good performance or not, but in biopics I feel that at least a superficial resemblance is necessary (i.e., Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash).

[Thom Wade]

Sigh...this is going to be a mere liberal screed.

And by the way, Josh Brolin is not exactly the first name that jumps to mind when I think of "actors who look like George Bush"...I don't claim to know whether he'll turn in a good performance or not, but in biopics I feel that at least a superficial resemblance is necessary (i.e., Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash).

I think the mistake was not casting, say, Will Farrell and making it a comedy. Possible title?

W:Strategery

I just watched the trailer...I don't see proof that it's just another "liberal screed"...frankly, if it had been a movie about a guy named Billy...would we have any idea of any political bent from this trailer?

Edited July 29, 2008 by Nezpop

[Peter T Chattaway]

Oliver Stone's George Bush biopic

Oliver Stone's Bush biopic plays it for laughs, but it's every bit as controversial as JFK and Nixon

Sunday Times, August 10

[Overstreet]

[Roland Deschain]

Sigh...this is going to be a mere liberal screed.

And by the way, Josh Brolin is not exactly the first name that jumps to mind when I think of "actors who look like George Bush"...I don't claim to know whether he'll turn in a good performance or not, but in biopics I feel that at least a superficial resemblance is necessary (i.e., Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash).

Exactly. Much like daddy James's hatchet-job...er, I mean, performance of Ronald Reagan not too long ago.

[Peter T Chattaway]

Oliver Stone has obviously never cared all that much about physical resemblances -- not if he cast Anthony Hopkins as Richard Milhous Nixon.

[Overstreet]

A preview of Josh Brolin's W impression.

[Jeff]

I stand partially corrected. In that clip, Brolin at least gets the voice right.

Still...in the trailer, James Cromwell is so unlike Bush 41 in both appearance and voice that it almost made me laugh. He'll always be that scientist from First Contact to me.

[Overstreet]

I half expect him to smile down at Dubya at the end of the film, right after Saddam is executed, and say, "That'll do, George."