Showtime has greenlighted a Roger Ailes miniseries called The Loudest Voice in the Room. What may speak louder is a lawsuit from Laurie Luhn, an ex-Fox New staffer who was a major part of the story surrounding Roger Ailes eventually resigning from Fox News Channel before his ultimate death back in 2017. Why is she suing? Allegedly over her portrayal in the miniseries.
According to new reports, Laurie Luhn filed a lawsuit with the Superior Court of the State of Los Angeles alleging The Loudest Voice in the Room has been using her interviews with Gabriel Sherman along with her likeness to promote the upcoming miniseries.
She acknowledges she recorded 11 hours of interviews with Gabriel Sherman. Laurie Luhn was also a part of a New York magazine piece in which she said Roger Ailes hit her up for sexual favors, alleging he "own[ed]" her and more.
However, Luhn says she was not told her interviews might end up in another product and that Sherman reached out to her when she was in a "vulnerable state."
In addition, she says she had reached out to The Loudest Voice in the Room to consult about her portrayal, after Gabriel Sherman previously wrote about Laurie Luhn denying she set up staffers to be harassed by Ailes, but said she had sent staffers in "for private meetings" with Ailes, per THR.
Per Variety, Laurie Luhn's suit states she is hoping for more than $750 million in damages. Of that, she is seeking $250 million in general damages and over $500 million in punitive damages. She also does not want The Loudest Voice in the Room to use her likeness.
Casting has already commenced on the Roger Ailes documentary. Russell Crowe is set to play Roger Ailes in the biopic, marking his first foray onto the small screen. Laurie Luhn is expected to be a character in The Loudest Voice in the Room. She will be played by Annabelle Wallis.
Other actors cast include Naomi Harris as Gretchen Carlson, Seth MacFarlane as Brian Lewis, Sienne Miller as Beith Ailes, Simon McBurney as Rupert Murdoch and more.
A separate movie starring John Lithgow has also been coming together.
The Loudest Voice in the Room has been in the works with Gabriel Sherman involved for at least a couple of years, but it was only during the summer of 2018 that the project really started coming together.
Showtime is the subscription cable network moving forward with The Loudest Voice in the Room. It's unclear how Laurie Luhn's lawsuit will pan out at this point or if it will have an effect on the miniseries, which was expected to hit the network sometime in 2019. The miniseries is expected to be eight episodes in length.
We will keep you updated as Laurie Luhn's lawsuit progresses. In the meantime, you can take a look at what is headed to TV right away with our full midseason premiere schedule.
