And the cast of The Butler keeps getting better. With John Cusack, Alan Rickman, Robin Williams, and James Marsden already lined up to play former Presidents in Lee Daniels' true civil rights drama, Deadline reports that Liev Schreiber has now signed on as Lyndon B. Johnson, who replaced John F. Kennedy after he was assassinated.
It'll be interesting to see what a director like Daniels, who found such early success with Precious, can do with a remarkable roster like this. Forest Whitaker stars as Eugene Allen, an African-American man who served in the White House as a butler for thirty-four years under eight administrations. His story first came to light in a Washington Post article around the time of Barack Obama's winning the Presidential election, and detailed Allen's inside look at the shaping of this country from a unique inside perspective. Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo, Minka Kelly, Jane Fonda, Alex Pettyfer, Lenny Kravitz, Terrence Howard, and Cuba Gooding Jr. co-star, with Vanessa Redgrave circling a role. Deadline also reports Mariah Carey having landed a spot in the film, along with Yaya Dacosta(The Kids Are All Right), and Melissa Leo as Mamie Eisenhower.
Danny Strong and Daniels co-wrote the script, with production to begin in New Orleans shortly.
