W. (film): Difference between revisions
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'''''W.''''' is a film in [[production]] based on the life and presidency of [[George W. Bush]]. It will be directed by [[Oliver Stone]] and star [[Josh Brolin]] as George W. Bush. Stone has compared his goal for ''W.'' to the approaches of ''[[The Queen (film)|The Queen]]'' (2006) and his own ''[[Nixon (film)|Nixon]]'' (1995). Filming is scheduled to begin on [[May 12]], [[2008]] in [[Louisiana]] and will be released for the [[United States presidential election, 2008|presidential election]] on [[October 17]], [[2008]].<ref name=fleming2>{{cite news | last=Fleming | first=Michael | url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117985350.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 | title=Lionsgate books Oliver Stone's ''W'' | publisher=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date=[[2008-05-08]] | accessdate=2008-05-09 }}</ref> |
'''''W.''''' is a film in [[production]] based on the life and presidency of [[George W. Bush]]. It will be directed by [[Oliver Stone]] and star [[Josh Brolin]] as George W. Bush. Stone has compared his goal for ''W.'' to the approaches of ''[[The Queen (film)|The Queen]]'' (2006) and his own ''[[Nixon (film)|Nixon]]'' (1995). Filming is scheduled to begin on [[May 12]], [[2008]] in [[Louisiana]] and will be released for the [[United States presidential election, 2008|presidential election]] on [[October 17]], [[2008]].<ref name=fleming2>{{cite news | last=Fleming | first=Michael | url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117985350.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 | title=Lionsgate books Oliver Stone's ''W'' | publisher=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date=[[2008-05-08]] | accessdate=2008-05-09 }}</ref> |
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Stone considers this film as his first [[comedy]] film despite the serious nature. |
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==Cast== |
==Cast== |
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Revision as of 03:30, 11 May 2008
| W. | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Oliver Stone |
| Written by | Stanley Weiser Oliver Stone |
| Produced by | Moritz Borman Jon Kilik Bill Block Oliver Stone |
| Starring | Josh Brolin Elizabeth Banks James Cromwell Ellen Burstyn |
| Distributed by | Lionsgate |
Release dates | October 17, 2008 |
| Language | English |
| Budget | US$30 million[1] |
W. is a film in production based on the life and presidency of George W. Bush. It will be directed by Oliver Stone and star Josh Brolin as George W. Bush. Stone has compared his goal for W. to the approaches of The Queen (2006) and his own Nixon (1995). Filming is scheduled to begin on May 12, 2008 in Louisiana and will be released for the presidential election on October 17, 2008.[2]
Stone considers this film as his first comedy film despite the serious nature.
Cast
- Josh Brolin as George W. Bush[3]
- Elizabeth Banks as Laura Bush[3]
- James Cromwell as George H. W. Bush[3]
- Ellen Burstyn as Barbara Bush[3]
- Rob Corddry as Ari Fleischer[4]
- Jeffrey Wright as Colin Powell[2]
- Thandie Newton as Condoleezza Rice[2]
- Ioan Gruffudd as Tony Blair[2]
- Scott Glenn as Donald Rumsfeld[2]
- Toby Jones as Karl Rove
Stone was interested in Robert Duvall playing Vice President Dick Cheney, but he turned down the role.[5]
Production
"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."
Director Oliver Stone was originally attached to direct Pinkville, a film about the Army's investigation of the My Lai Massacre, but development was canceled due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike and actor Bruce Willis pulling out of the film three weeks before shooting was set to start.[7] As a result, United Artists shut the production down. Stone moved on to direct a film about the life and presidency of George W. Bush, shopping a script that had been written before the strike by Stanley Weiser, who had co-written Wall Street (1987) with Stone. Weiser and Stone read 17 books as part of their research for the script,[1] and worked on the project for a year before venturing to film Pinkville.[6] Stone has admitted that he and Weiser had to speculate on some dialogue: "You take all the facts and take the spirit of the scene and make it accurate to what you think happened".[7] W. is being financed independently, with Chinese, German, and Australian funds. Lionsgate is rumored to have made a deal to distribute the film.[7]
Though Stone has criticized Bush for the administration's 2003 invasion of Iraq, the director said that he was not looking to make an "anti-Bush polemic". Stone compared his goal of the film to The Queen (2006), wanting to trace "seminal events in Bush's life". According to the director, "It's a behind-the-scenes approach, similar to Nixon (1995), to give a sense of what it's like to be in his skin. But if Nixon was a symphony, this is more like a chamber piece, and not as dark in tone."[6]
The film, originally titled Bush,[6] was re-titled W.[3] Filming will begin on May 12, 2008[2] in Shreveport, Louisiana and will likely wrap June 20, 2008[8] The film will be released for the presidential election on October 17, 2008.[2] The film's producers are reportedly planning to run TV spots for the film opposite John McCain's ads this fall.[7]
Casting
Josh Brolin spent months working on the president's distinctive vocal style, calling hotels in Texas and talking to the people at the front desk, listening to their accents. The actor has also been watching video of Bush walking. Brolin said, "It changes over the years, how he walks in his 30s, how he walks in foreign lands, before 9/11 and afterwards. People hold their emotions in their bodies. They can't fake it. Especially him".[7] Elizabeth Banks has said that she will not do an impression of the First Lady Laura Bush. "I just want to honor her voice, her stillness, and her hairstyle".[7]
References
- ^ a b Stephen Galloway, Matthew Belloni (2008-04-07). "Bush biographers mixed on script for Oliver Stone's W". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d e f g Fleming, Michael (2008-05-08). "Lionsgate books Oliver Stone's W". Variety. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d e Fleming, Michael (March 26, 2008). "Oliver Stone casts parents of W". Variety. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Jacks, Brian (2008-04-09). "EXCLUSIVE: Rob Corddry Lands Role Of Press Secretary Ari Fleischer In Oliver Stone's 'W'". MTV. Retrieved 2008-04-09.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Sperling, Nicole (March 26, 2008). "Oliver Stone's George W. Bush biopic coming together". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b c d Michael Fleming (2008-01-20). "Oliver Stone votes for 'Bush' project". Variety. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d e f Benjamin Svetkey (2008-05-07). "First Look: W, Oliver Stone's Bush Biopic". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Kent, Alexandyr (March 26, 2008). "Oliver Stone's W. to film in Shreveport". The Shreveport Times. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help)
External links