For several decades, Dick Cheney was an architect of policy and bureaucracy, through various administrations, and in Washington D.C.'s political culture. This eventually culminated in his ascension to the post of vice president under George W. Bush's administration, a moment that saw the office being granted the greatest level of power and involvement it ever saw. And now that story's about to be told through the lens of filmmaker Adam McKay, as you'll see in the first trailer for his film, Vice, which you can see below.
While we had already our first look at the footage of Christian Bale's insane transformation into Vice's Cheney yesterday, actually watching him play the role is a totally different experience. In particular, hearing his take on Dick Cheney's voice is as spot on, despite how recognizable Bale has become in the last decade. This fact is only exacerbated by the fact that director Adam McKay's got a hell of a supporting cast backing Christian Bale's clearly killer performance.
Co-starring in Vice alongside Bale are Amy Adams as Dick Cheney's wife Lynne, Steve Carell as former colleague Donald Rumsfeld, and Sam Rockwell as George W. Bush himself. Each member of the cast gets their moment in the trailer, and giving cinephiles their first full look at what's sure to be an awards contender this year. All three co-stars have positions to challenge Bale's work as Cheney, and as we saw with Adam McKay's last film, The Big Short, he knows how to keep everyone's plate full and spinning, while telling a singularly threaded narrative. And for those of you playing at home, Carell's casting in particular feels like a sweet reference to the eventual fate of his Anchorman character, Brick Tamland.
Adam McKay is certainly no stranger to this type of film, especially when The Big Short saw him nominated for tons of awards--with a big win coming for his work as a co-writer on the film's script. Given the director's history and Vice's concept, the movie seems destined to take on a reputation as one of the political firebrands that'll be making the rounds this winter. McKay's views on politics are certainly not private, and if Vice is half as political as The Big Short, we're in for an equally interesting film that could start out as a comedy, before sliding into something much more dark and disturbing.
When he first entered the political dramedy circuit, Adam McKay might have been a surprise contender that needed some selling to the general public. But watching the trailer for Vice, and keeping his recent history in mind, this looks like a confident progression of genres for McKay. The end result will be released to the public starting this Christmas, but if you're wondering about any other politically charged biopics headed your way throughout the rest of this year, we've got you covered with our 2018 release schedule.
