The Hollywood Reporter has caught wind of a new, independent Ronald Reagan biopic picking up steam and today, it’s found its director.
According to the report, it is Soul Surfer and The King’s Daughter helmer Sean McNamara that will take point on the political picture, one that’s set to recount the “40th president’s life as chronicled by a KGB agent who was assigned to follow him during the early days of the Cold War, when the future president was vehemently anti-Communist while running the Screen Actors Guild.”
Simply titled Reagan, THR notes that Howie Klausner (Space Cowboys) is attached to the pen the script – mining material from Paul Kengor’s pair of biographies – and though there’s no mention of who will step into the Oval Office as Ronald Reagan, we understand that Disney breakout David Henrie (Wizard’s of Waverly Place) is on board to portray a younger version of the would-be POTUS. Robert Davi, meanwhile, has closed a deal to play Leonid Brezhnev, a power player within the Soviet Union from 1964-1982.
It’s a project that holds great significance for Sean McNamara, too, as he worked as a sound engineer during Reagan’s inauguration: “I literally stood 10 feet from Reagan on inauguration day as he addressed supporters in one of the ballrooms. He’s a fascinating character and I’m looking forward to getting his story right.”
So, there you have it; The Oval Office beckons for McNamara and David Henrie with this new, $25 million Ronald Reagan indie pic. It’s not to be confused with the languishing comedic feature based on the 40th POTUS, which looks to have lost any sense of momentum once Will Ferrell bowed out.