It has been over 40 years since President Richard Nixon resigned as a result of the sprawling Watergate scandal. Many may be familiar with some of the beats that lead to his demise: the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters; the taped conversations Nixon kept, or didn’t keep; and Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s reporting, which was enshrined in the 1976 film All the President’s Men. The story of the first and only resignation by a sitting president seems well known, but a new movie will shed light on a less-known piece of the puzzle: the story of Mark Felt.
If that name doesn’t ring any bells, that is because it wasn’t revealed until 2005, over 30 years after the events had passed. In that time, Felt was better known by his codename Deep Throat, the informant that worked with Woodward and Bernstein on exposing the truth.
Per the press release, Felt’s story will be portrayed in a new film simply entitled Felt, with the Liam Neeson (Taken) set to play the eponymous character. The film will be directed by Peter Landesman, who seems to have a penchant for informant-based non-fiction stories, as he will be releasing another high-profile picture this december in Concussion, starring Will Smith as the doctor who revealed the effects football has on the brain.
Felt, who served as an associate director of the FBI in the 1970s, will be portrayed as someone “disheartened that the organization he works for is involved in cover-up but also who is torn apart as he leaks information.” Also, the film will take on the trappings of a spy thriller. Principal photography is set to begin in March 2016; the filmmakers are in discussion with additional cast.
Anytime Neeson is involved in a project there is a certain level of deference paid, even when he is doing nothing but displaying a very particular set of skills. His inclusion in this film elevates an already intriguing premise. Neeson will next be seen in Silence, and I am very excited to see his reunion with Martin Scorsese when it arrives to theaters in just a few months.
It’ll be interesting to see if any sort of nods are made to All the President’s Men, the perennial film on the subject. Also, with the release of Oliver Stone’s Snowden just a few months away, it’ll be interesting to see how another informant-centered, albeit less political, film is treated.
