When you have a cast that includes names like Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, John Cusack, Jane Fonda, Cuba Gooding Jr, Terrence Howard, Lenny Kravitz, James Marsden, David Oyelowo, Vanessa Redgrave, Alan Rickman, Liev Schreiber, and Robin Williams, you don't need much else to draw people's attention. It's no wonder then that these notable names stand out front and center of the new poster—courtesy of Moviefone--for Lee Daniel's ambitious, generation-spanning biopic The Butler, while its star (Whitaker) keeps his back to us as he regards the brewing activism outside the White House where he serves.
Inspired by Wil Haygood's article about longtime White House butler Eugene Allen called "A Butler Well Served by This Election," The Butler gives a look at the evolution of modern American politics' from a unique perspective. Allen (renamed Cecil Gaines in the movie) served under seven different presidents, including Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon Johnson. In that time he witnessed a great deal of social change, which sometimes impacted and was sometimes directed by his boss, the President of the United States.
Even with a spotty filmography that includes the reviled Shadowboxer, Oscar-winning Precious, and polarizing Paperboy, Daniels was able to cull together an incredible ensemble cast, perhaps in part because he was asking actors to play historical icons. You can see several in action in the film's first trailer. Or check out one of the most confusing movie stills known to man/featuring Oprah Winfrey.
The Weinstein Company will be releasing The Butler on August 16th.
