A couple of months ago, we reported that Sony and producer Laura Ziskin had agreed to make a movie about the life story of Eugene Allen, an African-American butler who had served at the White House for over thirty years, and under eight presidents. Well, now the movie has got a title, the simple and elegant The Butler (a damn sight better than A Butler Well Served By This Election, the title of the Washington Post article which inspired the film) – and a writer as well. Danny Strong, who wrote the acclaimed political drama Recount for HBO, has been hired to write the movie, based on Wil Haygood’s Washington Post article. The story not only delves into Allen’s career at the White House and his personal interactions with Presidents, but also the optimism he and his wife, Helene, shared in the run-up to Barack Obama’s election – an election that, sadly, Helene never got to see, as she died the day before. No director or cast has yet been attached to the movie, which sounds – even at this early stage – like it has Oscar potential.
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