Dennis Quaid set to play former president Ronald Reagan in upcoming biopic
Dennis Quaid has been assigned to play the role of President Ronald Reagan in an upcoming biopic that is expected to begin shooting in the fall. Produced by Mark Joseph, the biopic is going to explore Reagan's life right from his boyhood to his presidency.The role of a young Reagan will be played by David Henrie who is best known for his role Justin Russo in Disney Channel's Wizards of Waverly Place.
The Hollywood Reporter shared that in the process of producing the film, Joseph has already met 50 friends of the former president, and several of his confidantes, cabinet members, and also his pastor and the surgeon who saved his life when he was shot.
The feature film has been in production for quite a while now and is going to focus on Reagan's term as the governor of California, as well as his role in the destruction of the Berlin Wall.
It is also supposed to be delving into his final days riddled with Alzheimer's disease, and, of course, going to bring in the aspect of John Hinckley Jr, the man who was so obsessed with Jodie Foster, that it drove him to attempt the assassination of the former president in 1981.
So far dubbed as Reagan, the film will focus on Reagan as both, the politician and the credited actor. It is also going to star Jon Voight and will be executive produced by Ralph Winter, who is known for the X-Men film franchise.
Speaking about the extensive lengths he went to with meeting all those who were close to the Republican president, just to portray every minute detail of his life correctly, Joseph told The Hollywood Reporter: "Dennis was always our first choice. He's one of the great actors of our time."
Quaid also shared his views on the project with the outlet, saying: "Reagan was a fascinating and multifaceted human being and this movie captures his humanity. We're making a movie for Republicans and Democrats alike since Reagan transcends politics. I can't wait to get started."
The film's budget is set at $21 million and it will be directed by The Miracle Season's director Sean McNamara, who has also directed Soul Surfer in 2011 and has several other shows for Nickelodeon and Disney Channel to his credits. Howie Klausner is set to write the movie that will be based on two biographies from author Paul Kengor.
There has been no set release date for the movie but the filmmakers claim they are aiming for a summer of 2019 release. As for Quaid playing the role of Reagan, the deal was negotiated by attornies Frank DeMartini, Stewart Brookman of Hanson, Jacobson and George Freeman at WME.
Serving as an unofficial advisor for the movie will be Edwin Meese who had worked for Reagan for a few decades, catering to a variety of ways as a part of his work.
