A Movie About Bush? Only If Thandie Newton Plays Condi!
When I first heard about this project, I developed a sudden relentless rash! Why the hell would I want to watch a film about George W Bush? Are you fucking kidding me? Those were my immediate thoughts. But as more and more is revealed about the project, my attitude towards the idea has brightened accordingly. Knowing that Oliver Stone is behind this tickles me a great deal! I'm sure you all are familiar with his body of work, and unabashed leftist leanings. Despite his claims that he has every intention of being truthful and fair in his characterization of Bush and his entourage, I just don't see that happening at all! He'll be as fair and balanced as Fox News claims to be. And this is why I'm tickled and curious as to what the outcome of this $30 Million production will be. Apparently, there's already some controversy surrounding certain "facts" the script claims. Read below and be tickled just as I am. Oh, and by the way, how could I forget to mention that Thandie Newton has been tapped to play Condoleezza Rice!! That should be interesting. Josh Brolin of No Country For Old Men fame will portray President Bush! The plan is to have the film ready for release by this fall's election. Coincidence? I think not!From The Hollywood Reporter:
President George W. Bush is a foul-mouthed, reformed drunk obsessed with baseball, Saddam Hussein and a conflicted relationship with his dad. Or at least that's how he's portrayed in the script for Oliver Stone's upcoming feature "W."
But how accurate is that depiction?
As the film preps for its April 21 start date, The Hollywood Reporter sent a copy of the screenplay to four Bush biographers for their comments. The draft is dated Oct. 17, 2007, and has recently been circulated to talent, though a person close to the film said the script has since gone through at least two drafts.
Naturally, what a director does with a script is how a movie is ultimately judged, but because this screenplay depicts a sitting president and the run-up to the war in Iraq, its authenticity is becoming a hotly debated subject -- not to mention the fact that any historical material Stone has touched has become controversial.
Reactions to the script from the biographers were mixed.
They said specific scenes are largely based in fact but noted that the screenplay contains inaccurate and over-the-top caricatures of Bush and his inner circle.
"It leaves you with the impression that the White House is run as a fraternity house with no reverence for hierarchy, the office itself or for the implications of policy," said Robert Draper, author of "Dead Certain: The Presidency of George Bush." "Everybody calling everybody else nicknames and chatting about whether to go to war as if they were chatting about how to bet on a football game really misses the mark of how many White Houses, including this one, are run."
Jacob Weisberg ("The Bush Tragedy") was skeptical about Stone's claim that he wants to make "a fair, true portrait" of Bush. "His saying he is going to be fair to Bush is like Donald Trump saying he is going to be modest," Weisberg quipped.
"W," which is set to begin filming in Shreveport, La., with Bill Block's QED financing a budget of about $30 million, stars Josh Brolin and James Cromwell as Bush 43 and 41, respectively. The film is being closely watched in entertainment and political circles, in part because Stone has said his goal is to release it while Bush is still in office and possibly in time for the November election.
In the script -- then titled "Bush" -- the president's policy judgments are often manipulated by his White House staff, a depiction several of the biographers said did not ring true.
"The problem here is it goes to this notion of Bush as being the passive receiver of policy and the White House being run by (Dick) Cheney, (Donald) Rumsfeld, (Karl) Rove and others," Draper said. "Bush's adversaries have been ill-served by this belief that Bush is an observer to his own presidency. This notion that his schedule is driven by what's on ESPN is ludicrous."
Read the rest HERE
I'd be interested in seeing this.
(1) I'd love to watch Thandie Newton play Condi.
(2) I'd love to see Bush painted as... well, however Stone paints him.
LOL
I'll definitely see it. It'll likely be hilarious! I hope Stone doesn't change a damn thing!