Matthew McConaughey Is JFK, John Cusack is Nixon, And Other Presidential Castings In THE BUTLER

Get ready for some presidential casting news!

Get ready for some presidential casting news!

ScreenDaily sat down with director Lee Daniels, who was running the media circuit to promote his new film, THE PAPERBOY at Cannes.  Among the topics discussed was Daniels’ next film, THE BUTLER, which tells the story of a White House butler, Eugene Allen, who served eight American Presidents over the course of three decades, and the hell of a casting job he’s already done for it.

According to the director, Forest Whitaker has signed on to play Allen, and the legendary Oprah Winfrey will be playing Allen’s wife.  As for the presidential roles, Matthew McConaughey and Minka Kelly have signed on to play John and Jackie Kennedy, John Cusack has the role of Richard Nixon, and Alan Rickman and Jane Fonda have signed on as Ronald and Nancy Reagan.

And if that wasn’t enough, the rest of the cast includes John and Cuba Gooding Jr, David Oyelowo, Lenny Kravitz and Terrence Howard.

Impressed yet?

THE BUTLER, described by Daniels as “ultimately a father son story with a civil rights backdrop,” begins filming July 16th.

 

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