Making a feature movie about a President of the United States is no small task. In one respect you want to try and tell an accurate a story as possible. In another respect you really need a bunch of stars aligned to make something like this happen. If you’re going to tackle something as historical as a President you better have great writing, great directing, a great story, and one hell of an actor to play whatever President whose story you are trying to tell.
We’ve had our fair share of feature films dedicated to Presidents before, and to a fair amount of success. Off the top of my head, the ones that really shoot out are JFK, Lincoln, Frost/Nixon, Primary Colors, and The Butler. However don’t forget we’ve had quite a few Presidents in our nation’s history. You’d have to think that it’s not as simple as getting a movie studio to green light a project like this.
I’m guessing you need permission from offspring who are still alive. There’s gotta be a ton of legal hoops to go through to make something like this happen. In any event, here are five Presidents that I think a feature film has to be inevitable for, or at least in the works for.
George Washington
Right now our first President is actually featured on The CW show Legends of Tomorrow. But oddly enough there’s never been a true, Hollywood biopic on him. I find that extremely hard to believe. From his wife Martha to how he even became our President in the first place, you’d have to think the subject matter is endless. Frankly I think there will be a movie about Martha before there’s one about George, but how could Hollywood pass this up?
Thomas Jefferson
There are so many conflicting opinions about Thomas Jefferson and so many directions a movie like this could go. My immediate reaction would be taking the racist and slave owner angle. A portrayal of Jefferson as a cruel man would undoubtedly ruffle a lot of feathers but with the right director, could be a masterpiece. On the other hand, he could be portrayed as the most influential man when it comes to our constitution. That would describe him as an American hero.
Teddy Roosevelt
Would the title of this movie be “Spectacles?” I honestly don’t think there’s ever been a President more recognized because of an aesthetic feature than Teddy Roosevelt. A movie from 1986 The Indomitable Teddy Roosevelt exists but I think we need a Steven Spielberg hand on this one.
Ronald Reagan
There’s just too much here. From Nancy to his assassination attempt to how he even began a career in politics from being an actor, there’s just too much. The hardest part by far would be finding an actor who would pull this off. Did you know his first Presidential role was as President of the Screen Actor’s Guild?
Barack Obama
This one’s pretty obviously but worth a mention. I have a feeling there will be some quick movie on Obama that comes out in the next 2 years but hopefully something more substantial comes along. You can’t not make a movie about the nation’s first Black President.
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