What journalist doesn’t dream of Robert Redford one day playing them in a movie? Considering his resume, Dan Rather is optimistic that the All The President’s Men actor can play him in Truth, a movie about the scandal that brought Rather down.
As previously reported, Redford joined Truth on Wednesday, along with Cate Blanchett, who will paly former 60 Minutes prudcer Mary Mapes. The source material for James Vanderbilt’s script is Mapes’ Truth And Duty: The Press, The President, And The Privilege Of Power.
The plot will center on the infamous 60 Minutes story, in which Rather reported on how President George W. Bush allegedly received special treatment to avoid serving in the Viatnam War while a member of the Air National Guard. Rather lost his longtime job at CBS News and Maples was fired.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter Thursday, Rather said that he doesn’t know much about Hollywood, but he’s happy to have the face of the Sundance Film Festival play him.
“He has more faith in truth-telling than most people in Hollywood,” Rather said of Redford. “In no small part because of that I'm of course pleased and honored that he's agreed to take on the challenge of trying to make a film about political and corporate interference with truth-telling investigative journalism.”
Rather said he’s overall “cautiously optimistic” about the film and is also an admirer of Cate Blanchett’s work.
While Rather has given the film his stamp of approval, the project does have a ways to go before it gets made. Producers Brad Fischer, William Sherak, Vanderbilt and Mikkel Bondesen still don’t have a studio interested in making it.
image courtesy of ACE/INFphoto.com