Game Change

Screenwriter Danny Strong Talks HBO’s GAME CHANGE, Adapting Dan Brown’s THE LOST SYMBOL, and Lee Daniels’ THE BUTLER

by Christina Radish    Posted: March 6th, 2012 at 3:38 pm

HBO Films’ Game Change (premiering on March 10^th) follows John McCain’s (Ed Harris) 2008 presidential campaign, from his selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (Julianne Moore) as his vice presidential running mate to their ultimate defeat in the general election. Told through the eyes of McCain strategist Steve Schmidt (Woody Harrelson), the man who championed Palin for the ticket, the film revisits a defining moment in U.S. politics. It pulls back the curtain to show the intense human drama, and the strength of the performances, especially from Harris, Moore and Harrelson, create a riveting story that you just can’t stop watching, even though you know the final outcome. Directed by Jay Roach, the film also stars Ron Livingston, Peter MacNicol, Sarah Paulson, Jamey Sheridan and Bruce Altman.

During this recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, writer/co-executive producer Danny Strong talked about why he enjoys collaborating with Jay Roach (with whom he also did Recount with), why the Sarah Palin story is so intriguing and unique, the different types of research that he did in writing the film, his first reaction to seeing both Julianne Moore and Ed Harris in character, and Steve Schmidt’s reaction to the final film. He also talked about the appeal of taking on screenwriter duties for The Lost Symbol, the next Robert Langdon story from author Dan Brown, that it looks like his script for The Butler (with Lee Daniels directing) will go into production in the next three of four months, and how he’s looking forward to making his directorial debut. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

Full Trailer for HBO’s GAME CHANGE

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 31st, 2012 at 2:58 pm

The first full trailer for HBO’s Game Change has gone online. Directed by Jay Roach (Recount), the film follows the behind-the-scenes turmoil of the 2008 John McCain Presidential campaign. While we’ve previously seen tiny bits of Julianne Moore’s performance as Sarah Palin, this full trailer puts her front and center with stunning results. Moore has gone above and beyond here to embody the former Vice Presidential candidate, and nails all the nuances of Palin’s character. Roach and screenwriter Danny Strong previously teamed up for the stellar Recount, and it looks as though they’ve expertly executed yet another real-life political drama. While some of Palin’s behavior in the trailer might come across as staged, the film is based on John Heilemann and Mark Halperin’s book of the same name which was the culmination of their unrivaled access to both Presidential campaigns.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer. The film also stars Ed Harris, Woody Harrelson, Ron Livingston, Sarah Paulson, Peter MacNicol, Justin Gaston, Larry Sullivan, Jamey Sheridan, and Melissa Farman. Game Change premieres on HBO March 10th.

No Fooling, Winter Is Coming Back: GAME OF THRONES Returns April 1st; Other HBO Premieres Announced

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 13th, 2012 at 9:07 am

We knew Game of Thrones would return for its second season in April 2012, but we didn’t know when.  There were 30 possible options!  Now HBO has revealed the April wait will be non-existent (unless you’re counting the hours).  Game of Thrones returns April 1st.  The new season will be 10 episodes long.

HBO also announced other premiers for its fall line-up.  The Lena Dunham comedy Girls arrives on April 15th, Veep, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, premieres on April 22nd.  As for HBO movies, Jay Roach‘s political drama Game Change debuts on March 10th.  The two hour film centers on John McCain‘s 2008 presidential campaign and stars Ed Harris as McCain and Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin.  And while all of this sounds well and good, it’s all about getting back to Westeros.  If you haven’t seen the teaser trailer for season two of Game of Thrones (or you just want to watch it again), hit the jump.

Teaser Trailer for GAME CHANGE Starring Ed Harris as John McCain and Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: December 21st, 2011 at 4:24 pm

HBO has released their first teaser trailer for Game Change, a telepic about John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign.  It is a well-structured 52 seconds.  First, Ed Harris looks just like McCain when you stick a hairpiece on him.  A speech by Woody Harrelson (playing McCain’s advisor Steve Schmidt) builds nicely to the big reveal of Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin.  Plenty have tried on a Palin impression in the last couple years.  Is it any surprise that Moore’s, in just one sentence, sounds good enough to sustain a feature-length character arc?

Ron Livingston, Sarah Paulson, Peter MacNicol, Justin Gaston, Larry Sullivan, Jamey Sheridan, and Melissa Farman also star.  Game Change was directed by Jay Roach and written by Danny Strong, who previously collaborated on the HBO movie Recount, which centered on the 2000 election.  Game Change will premiere in March 2012.  Watch the trailer after the break.

First Look at Ed Harris as John McCain in HBO’s GAME CHANGE

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: May 16th, 2011 at 11:03 am

Last month we got our first look at Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin in HBO’s political drama film Game Change. Now we have our first look at the other star of the film with an image of Ed Harris as presidential candidate and Senator John McCain. Once again, the resemblance is uncanny, and I can’t wait to see Harris actually portraying McCain in the film. See the full image after the jump.

First Look at Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin in HBO’s GAME CHANGE; Peter MacNicol, Sarah Paulson and More Join Cast

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: April 27th, 2011 at 11:43 am

We just had Ron Livingston join the cast of HBO’s political drama film Game Change, but now we have a few new cast members and our first look at another cast member in full wardrobe as a familiar vice presidential candidate. As you can see, that’s Julianne Moore all dressed up as John McCain’s running mate Sarah Palin. As for our new cast members, Deadline reports Sarah Paulson (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip), Peter MacNicol (24) and Justin Gaston (The Escapee) have joined the cast while THR reports Larry Sullivan (CSI), Jamey Sheridan (Trauma) and Melissa Farman (Temple Grandin) will also star in the film. See the full photo of Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin after the jump along with a brief synopsis of the film and details on our new cast members’ characters.

NBC Cancels THE PAUL REISER SHOW After Two Episodes; Ron Livingston Joins HBO’s GAME CHANGE and Kelli Giddish to Appear on THE GOOD WIFE

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: April 25th, 2011 at 12:36 pm

First in a round of TV news, after hearing The Paul Reiser Show would replace the canceled comedy series Perfect Couples, it sounds like the replacement just didn’t work. After just two episodes, The Futon Critic reports NBC has already canceled Paul Reiser’s new sitcom after very low ratings. There’s a good chance Perfect Couples may have proven to be a better option for the network after all. Now the 8:30/7:30c time slot will be filled by reruns of The Office.

For news on casting for HBO’s forthcoming TV movie Game Change and the CBS legal drama The Good Wife, hit the jump.

Ed Harris to Play John McCain in HBO’s GAME CHANGE

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 23rd, 2011 at 6:00 pm

Ed Harris has been tapped to play Senator John McCain in HBO’s adaptation of Mark Halperin and John Heilemann’s book Game Change, which follows the behind-the-scenes turmoil of the 2008 presidential election. Julianne Moore was previously announced as signing on to play Sarah Palin. Jay Roach (Dinner for Schmucks) is set to direct the flick from a screenplay by Danny Strong. The director/writer duo previously teamed up on HBO’s Recount, which chronicled the fallout of the 2000 presidential election. Now that McCain and Palin are set, who will be chosen to fill out the Democratic Ticket? Hit the jump for a synopsis of Game Change.

Casting Call: Julianne Moore to Play Sarah Palin in HBO’s GAME CHANGE; Eric McCormack Joins WWE’s BARRICADE

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 9th, 2011 at 5:19 pm

A couple of casting stories for you this evening. Deadline reports that Julianne Moore has been tapped to portray Sarah Palin in Jay Roach’s (Dinner for Schmucks) adaptation of Mark Halperin and John Heilemann’s book following the behind-the-scenes turmoil of the 2008 presidential election. Roach previously directed another HBO Films flick, Recount, which examined the fallout of the 2000 presidential election. The script for Game Change is being penned by Danny Strong (Recount), and follows both the Obama campaign and the McCain campaign from the party primaries up through election night, so we’ve got quite a few more roles to be cast (Obama, Clinton, McCain, etc.).

Eric McCormack is set to star in the supernatural thriller Barricade for WWE (yes, that WWE). Heat Vision reports that filming on the Andrew Currie-directed flick is set to begin later this month. The story follows a recently widowed psychiatrist who takes his children to a remote cabin to unwind. Obviously, they’re not exactly alone and the father must battle “unknown forces” to save his family from peril. Hit the jump for a synopsis of Game Change.

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