HBO released the first short promotional clip for Game Change, the network’s television film adaptation of Mark Halperin and John Heilemann’s book about the 2008 presidential election. However, the film does not focus on the winner of the election, Barak Obama, but Republican Senator John McCain and Sarah Palin’s campaign against him.
USA Today reports that the film stars Julianne Moore as Palin, Ed Harris as McCain and Woody Harrelson as advisor Steve Schmidt. The supporting cast includes Sarah Paulson as Nicolle Wallace, a McCain aide who was critical of Palin and Peter MacNicol as Rick Davis, a campaign aide.
As People notes, the trailer shows Moore delivering just one line, but it is clear that she may be able to compete with comedian Tina Fey’s Saturday Night Live parodies of the former Alaskan governor.
McCain’s daughter Meghan criticized the movie back in March when it was announced that Harrelson and Harris would be in the film, but Moore had yet to be cast. Meghan McCain wrote, “Each actor brings their very public liberal bias to a story that has and will more than likely be portrayed from a liberal, elite Hollywood point of view. I am really cringing waiting for the casting of my mother. Let me guess—an ice princess?”
Later, she wrote, “I expect my family and Sarah Palin to be nothing short of crucified.”
Game Change was written and directed by the same team that worked on Recount, a film that chronicled the 2000 Presidential election, with Jay Roach directing and a script by Danny Strong.
You can watch the trailer below: