Under Stone's direction, the romance and comedy of "W" likely will be overshadowed by political intrigue and conspiracy theories about George W. Bush.
In a deal between Lionsgate, Omnilab Media, and QED International, filming begins today in Louisiana on the biopic W, based on the love, faith, and politics of America’s 43rd president. Set for theatrical release on October 17, 2008 to coincide with fall elections, W stars Josh Brolin as George W. Bush and Elizabeth Banks as Laura Bush.
Oliver Stone (World Trade Center, Wall Street) said in a statement: “The impact of George W. Bush’s presidency will be felt for many years to come. Despite a meteoric, almost illogical rise to power, and a tremendous influence on the world, we don’t really know much about Mr. Bush beyond the controlled images we’ve been allowed to see on TV.”
But I wonder what W would be like with a different director?
- With Judd Apatow: Starring Seth Rogen as George and Leslie Mann as Laura, W is an outrageous romantic comedy told through a series of humorous adventures with a strange mix of grossness and sweetness.
- With Tim Burton: Starring Johnny Depp as George and Helena Bonham Carter as Laura, W is a dark supernatural love story in which mysterious forces bring the couple together and then lead them to positions of international power.
- With Woody Allen: Starring Alan Alda as George and Diane Keaton as Laura, W is a cerebral fish-out-of-water comedy in which displaced Texans George and Laura fall in love at a bar in New York.
- With John Waters: Starring John Waters (in a cameo appearance) as George and Ricki Lake as Laura, W is the raunchy tale of how two young lovers from a trailer park in Baltimore find their way into The White House.
With Stone at the helm, however, we’ll have to wait and see how much romance and comedy make the final cut.
