Got an addition to the "must-see" pile for you.
Kevin Spacey and Michael Shannon will star as Richard Nixon and Elvis Presley, respectively, in ELVIS & NIXON, a film about the famous meeting between the two (photographed above) in 1970.
Liza Johnson (HATESHIP LOVESHIP) is directing from a script co-written by Hanala Sagal, Joey Sagal, and, honest to god, PRINCESS BRIDE/ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS star Cary Elwes.
For those of you curious, the talented Mr. Elwes has exactly zero produced scripts to his credit, but his brother, Cassian Elwes (THE BUTLER, AIN'T THEM BODIES SAINTS), is listed as a producer on the film. Hopefully, it was Cary's knowledge and passion for the material, and not nepotism, that got him a screenplay credit on this flick. Maybe he'll turn up onscreen as Bob Haldeman or something.
Spacey and Shannon are obviously hugely magnetic, esteemed actors, and even though the film is looking for financing at AFM this week, I have little doubt that it will pick up traction with those two leads. The project was previously set to star Danny Huston and Eric Bana, but they are obviously way less sexy to financiers than Mr. Frank Underwood and General Zod. The idea of seeing Spacey and Shannon in these iconic roles assures that at least SOME people will be curious enough to check this out. The only question is whether Ms. Johnson will craft a strong enough film around them to warrant their presence.
Let's put Michael Shannon (legendary for his BOARDWALK EMPIRE work alone) aside for a second; doesn't the idea of Spacey growling Republican rhetoric as Nixon for a full film seem sorta irresistible?
