Entertainment Weekly’s cover story is peek at pre-production on W, Oliver Stone’s much-discussed George W. Bush biopic. That’s Josh Brolin above, in makeup for the lead role. In the story, we learn:
- That script that seemed too parodic to be true was apparently at least two drafts away from the shooting script.
- Bush historian Robert Draper on that early script: “[I]t just misses the guy…You come away with an even more hyperbolized caricature of Bush the Cowboy President than is already out there.”
- Dick Cheney had yet to be cast by the time the EW story went to press, but Stone is reportedly considering Paul Giamatti. Which would be AWESOME.
- In the effort to produce this thing quickly and cheaply (the projected release date for this yet-to-be made film has now inched up to October[!]), Stone is taking advantage of Louisiana’s massive tax breaks, presumably using The Bayou State as a stand in for Texas, D.C. and Yale.
- Speaking of that improbable release date: Stone’s producers are said to be “planning to run TV spots opposite McCain’s ads this fall.”
- Stone on W’s jokiness: “This movie can be funnier because Bush is funny. He’s awkward and goofy and makes faces all the time. He’s not your average president. So let’s have some fun with it. What are they going to do? ‘Discredit’ me again?’
5 Comments
“What are they going to do? ‘Discredit’ me again?”
Hilarious. I hope this really echoes with his stupidity and that the film takes on a tone of “dear god the whole world is collapsing around me!”
Karina, if Republicans and conservatives are so bad and SOOOO evil, why isn’t Oliver Stone in a jail cell right now for even attempting to produce this movie? We know it says quite a bit about our nation that Stone is allowed to produce this movie; what does it say about the silliness of our political discourse that no gubmint official has acted against this?
Brad, I never suggested Republicans or conservatives were bad or evil. And why would the “gubmint” care about something that seems so clearly silly and over-the-top?
Nice parsing of those 6 pages!
“Silly and over the top.” Glad I’m not alone. I just don’t want to blog that because I’m so “expected” to blog that.
Btw: Your review of Iron Man was the best I read. And I read many of them. Including mine. A mighty fine piece of writing.