| Oliver Stone's W, the story of the formative years and early experiences in office of one George W. Bush, landed some further cast members today, in the shapely shapes of Ioan Gruffudd and Thandie Newton. Newton will play Condoleeza Rice, Bush's National Security Adviser turned Secretary of State, who apparently plays a key role in certain early Iraq-related scenes, while Gruffudd will play Tony Blair, a firm Bush ally in the Iraq War. Josh Brolin's already been cast as Dubya himself, with Elizabeth Banks as his wife Laura, James Cromwell as Bush Sr, and Ellen Burstyn as Barbara Bush. Even a casual observer will instantly notice that the cast are considerably better looking than their real-life counterparts, but that's Hollywood for ya. Shooting is due to start shortly, even though key roles (Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld) are still to be cast. Reportedly, the script portrays Bush as easily distracted and prone to be affected by personal agendas, but does have some sympathetic moments for the President as well. Stone wrote the script and will direct. |
