Oliver Stone votes for 'Bush' project -Josh Brolin to play embattled president

Source: Variety

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.

(snip)

One need only Google the words "Stone" and "Bush" to find plenty of the director's critical comments about the Bush administration's invasion of Iraq. Despite that, the director said he's not looking to make an anti-Bush polemic. His goal is to use seminal events in Bush's life to explain how he came to power, using a structure comparable to "The Queen."

"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."



Read more: http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117979349.html?categoryid=10&cs=1

...this has an equal chance of being either an extrodinary, unforgettable film or the biggest waste of time ever.

There was a certain attractiveness to his Nixon film because Nixon had become such an historical archetype, symbolizing our first awareness as a society of just how deeply degraded Federal politics had become. And since most movie-goers weren't actually old enough to detest Nixon in "real time" they were open to entertaining an unbiased account.

G. Dubbya, however, is still in the midst of his slide into cultural infamy. Most mainstream Republicans now feel shame about ever having voted for him, and seem to distance themselves from the subject altogether. And "abuse of power" in Federal politics is so accepted the subject doesn't even raise an eyebrow anymore.

So, let's see:

1) target audiences who VOTED for Bush want to forget about it
2) the ones who DIDN'T won't go to see a watered-down portrayal
3) past fans of Oliver Stone films are undoubtedly so disgusted at the very real conspiracy-culture that defines modern politics to go for another Movie of the Week-style film like his 9/11 fiasco
4) James Brolin is no Anthony Hopkins! ("I never knew Anthony Hopkins...but you, sir, are NO Anthony Hopkins")

All in all, it's likely that the REAL hidden agenda here is that Stone is trying to flush out the last remaining Republicans in Hollywood--so he can draw them into a sure-fire investment debacle and destroy them once and for all!

(Either that or he's simply entered his George Lucas years as a director...)

How is he going to handle the missing time during the National Guard years, the mysterious funding of his various business ventures, the drugs and alleged arrests? People have pieced together a pretty good picture of what went on, but whose version of reality is Stone going to present?

I already know more about him than I want to know

We know what he did.
Now we have the tasks of Damage Control and Punishment.

I am pretty sure Josh Brolin is a Repuke, and nothing the really plumbs the depth of *'s depravity will ever make it into major release.

His father is a liberal, married to Barbara Streisand.

The final chapter on Bush has yet to be written. A movie about him done in a historical context would be interesting, but since that history is ongoing, any conclusions written about him are way too premature. I think it's pretty clear Bush will be viewed as a failure, but to what extent and what will eventually happen to him are as yet unknown.

I think it would have to be a VERY, VERY long film to give the last 7 years their due. Stone isn't at all shy about making a film lengthy, though.

Or does it end?

time wise to include all the relevant pieces of history that we have come to know and love known as GW screwups/mishaps/and cover ups.

It was not entirely negative against Nixon.

I'm not so sure what positive things he could put in this movie about Bush. Maybe a long segment on Bush's courageous decision to sign the bill creating the Do-Not-Call list?

James Brolin is a staunch Democrat, though he's played Ronald Reagan, but I don't know what his son's politics are.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=PZQ4CN1SOCTNLQFIQMFCFGGAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2008/01/21/wbush121.xml

Oliver Stone is planning to make a new film about the life and presidency of George W. Bush, and is in talks with actor Josh Brolin to play the title role.

The director has begun quietly running the script by his "Wall Street" co-writer Stanley Weiser past financiers and is hoping to start filming by April.

The plan is for the film to be released by November, when presidential elections are held, or at latest by January when Mr Bush's sucessor will take up his or her place at the White House.

Mr Stone - who has expressed strong views on Mr Bush's decision to invade Iraq - has said, in an interview with Vanity Fair, that he intends the film to be a "fair, true portrait" of the outgoing US president.

Oh hang on, he's been in "American Gangster", "Planet Terror", "Hollow Man" and "Flirting with Disaster".

Perfect casting!