Adam McKay has a lot of experience putting together outstanding ensembles, from Anchorman to The Big Short, and he's been putting together yet another amazing cast for his developing Dick Cheney movie. Christian Bale is playing the lead, but the movie has surrounded him with the likes of Amy Adams (Lynne Cheney), Steve Carell (Donald Rumsfeld), Sam Rockwell (George W. Bush), and Bill Pullman (Nelson Rockefeller). Now we can add Tyler Perry's name to that list, as it's been revealed he will be playing Colin Powell in the feature.
Deadline has the news about the casting, which is apparently a done deal rather than being an "in talks" situation. The untitled movie, which is based on a script that Adam McKay wrote himself, will center on Dick Cheney's time as the Vice President of the United States and his efforts and activities involving the Iraq War. Those who follow history/politics know that Colin Powell is a key player in this story, as he served as the Secretary of State during the Bush administration, and famously gave a presentation to the United Nations about weapons of mass destruction that we eventually learned didn't actually exist.
Of course, Tyler Perry is best known as a writer/director and the creator of the Madea franchise - but part of that is because he doesn't act in many films that he isn't also helming. A few of the exceptions include the recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies, David Fincher's Gone Girl, and J.J. Abrams' Star Trek, so it obviously isn't a hard and fast rule. He'll next be seen on the big screen in the sequel Boo 2: A Made Halloween, but he also has a voiceover role in the animated religious feature The Star.
The Dick Cheney film is another big step in the evolution of Adam McKay as a filmmaker. His past includes stupid, funny movies like Step Brothers, The Other Guys, and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, but his more recent work has been a bit more serious. The Big Short, which came out back in 2015, earned him his first Oscar (for Best Adapted Screenplay), and he clearly has a passion about the true life stories he's telling, so it's an exciting time to watch him develop as a director.
The timing of Tyler Perry's casting is a bit odd, as the Dick Cheney biopic is now a few weeks into production, having started filming in late September. The project doesn't have a release date just yet, so we're not entirely sure when we'll get to see the finished product, but the smart money says it will be sometime in the fall of 2018 (right when the Oscar voters are starting to think about the best movies of the year). As it doesn't look like the project is done adding big names to the cast, we'll continue to keep an eye on it, so stay tuned for more updates.
