Variety is reporting that Jamie Foxx, who is looking to rebuild his acting career starting with Django Unchained, may play the President in Roland Emmerich‘s White House Down. Apparently, Foxx has shown interest in the role and talks have begun for the actor to join Channing Tatum in the film.
The big-budget blockbuster bump could be good for Foxx. Granted, he’s had his high points (Ray, Collateral, Jarhead etc.) but still, he could definitely use a bit of a boost. Django Unchained looks like it could earn him some Awards buzz and if he joins White House Down, it should make him a crowd favorite again.
Scripted by James Vanderbilt (Zodiac, The Amazing Spider-Man), the film will follow a “Secret Service agent who is tasked to protect the president when baddies invade the White House with little chance of escape.”
Personally, though some give him a hard time, I like Roland Emmerich. Say what you want about him but his big-budget flicks always manage to entertain. His last film, Anonymous, may have been a bit of a snoozefest but I still like the director’s work and this film seems like it’s right up his alley.
As for Foxx, like I said, he could use the boost. Yes, he’s shown up in roles here and there but nothing major, at least not for the past few years. He had small roles in Due Date and Horrible Bosses, which he performed well in and he also did some voice work in Rio not too long ago but aside from that, we haven’t seen him pop up anywhere in the past couple of years, at least not in the lead role.
With Django Unchained and hopefully White House Down under his belt, Foxx should have no trouble climbing back onto the A-list.