Tom Cruise as John Edwards? Let's Cast Aaron Sorkin's Scandalous New Movie
We'll admit it: It's been a very Aaron Sorkin-heavy news day here at Movieline HQ. However, the news that Sorkin will be making a movie about the John Edwards scandal is just too delicious to ignore. Here is our attempt to fantasy-cast The Politician.
John Edwards: Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise basically played John Edwards in the little-seen 2007 flop Lions for Lambs, so we know it's well within his wheelhouse. In fact, this is exactly the powerful dramatic role Cruise needs to make a comeback, and it toys irresistibly with the current public image of him. Can Tom Cruise play a well-coiffed permasmile who inappropriately falls for a younger woman and starts icking people out? Is Xenu an alien? Of course he can.
Rielle Hunter: Amy Ryan
Since her breakthrough, Oscar-nominated role in Gone Baby Gone, Amy Ryan has done political drama (Green Zone) and airheaded comedy (The Office). Why not conflate the two as wackadoodle new-age mistress Rielle Hunter, a reformed party girl who walked up to Edwards in a bar, said, "You're hot!" and threatened to jeopardize the entire Democratic primary?
Elizabeth Edwards: Cherry Jones
We know that Cherry Jones can do "long-suffering politician," as she had to put up with 24's frustrating plots while essaying the show's President Allison Taylor over the last two seasons. As a reward, let's have her do "long-suffering politician's wife" as Elizabeth Edwards. Whether you believe the cancer-stricken Elizabeth is a saint or a tarmac-terrorizing tyrant, is there any doubt Jones could pull either off?
Andrew Young: Will Arnett
Will Arnett usually plays characters who are deluded about their own self-importance, but it's not a far cry to imagine him as Andrew Young, the political aide whose delusion about the importance of John Edwards led other staffers to nickname him Edwards's "butt boy." Young so idolized Edwards that he was willing to take the fall for the Rielle Hunter affair, claiming paternity of Edwards's love child. Yes, Young wrote the book that Sorkin optioned, and that may mean that the film will be sympathetic to him, but the role is crying out for someone who can make this web of delusion as absurd as it must have been in real life. Who better than Arnett?
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Comments
The role of John Kerry will be played by Herman Munster.
I would be more likely to watch this movie if the role of John Edwards was played by Kenneth the NBC Page.
You read that right. NOT Jack McBrayer. The credits should read
"Jack McBrayer as Kenneth Parcell as John Edwards"
THAT movie would be amazing.
He's already reserved for the inevitable Bobby Jindal biopic.
I like every suggestion except Cruise. Dennis Quaid as Edwards.
Will Arnett as Andrew Young only for him saying "C'MON" when Edwards tells him he's got to take the fall...
Uau!
Most perfect casting ever! hauhauhuaahuhaua
Té.
excellent blog guys, keep up the work, i will share it with my friends. Thanks alot
I like Tom Cruise himself and I think he's a really great actor, and is great at putting up an act even when he's not on stage. His and Katie's clothes on the Red Carpet at the UK _Valkyrie_ premiere were just very great. I went and looked over Scientology to see what it was about it that attracted to Tom Cruise. But, all it is about is an artificial act and honesty isn't important there. It is just about putting on an act and I'm not good at putting on an act at all. I'm a writer and not an actor. A writer can use actors, but things that are about the act, can't use any writers. I feel that Star Trek was more of the vision that America needed and not what Scientology offers, though much of it is good, but you can't really make it work or it just wasn't going to work for me. I'm 46 and set in my ways too much to change my act up too much at this point in my life. I'm also a former Girl Scout, an Alpha Phi Omega, and a I'm a fan of Star Trek, but a lot of my values conflict with the values of Scientology even if there is a lot of stuff in it that's good, it just wasn't the right Fraternity for me.Sincerely,I love Tom Cruise and I thought he did real well in _Valkyrie_ and I liked that movie and its topic, but I know that Scientology and I, we just don't go together. We just aren't a good fit for each other. I can't lie through my teeth like that.