We told you about the HBO feature film about the aftermath of the 2000 election, titled “Recount.” More cast members are being named and some of the choices make a lot of sense.
Kevin Spacey, Laura Dern, Ed Begley Jr., Denis Leary, John Hurt, Tom Wilkinson and Bob Balaban will star in HBO’s Recount, sources close to the production confirmed on Monday.
Spacey will play Ron Klain, former chief of staff to Al Gore, while Dern will portray Katherine Harris, Florida’s secretary of state, who certified that George W. Bush won the state during the closely contested 2000 presidential election.
Recount, which starts filming in Jacksonville next month, takes place during the five weeks between the 2000 election and the U.S. Supreme Court 5-4 decision that ended the Florida recounts. Jacksonville will stand in for numerous locations around Florida.
Balaban will play Ben Ginsberg, lead attorney for the Bush/Cheney camp. Begley will play David Boies, lead attorney for Gore.
Wilkinson will play James Baker, the secretary of state for George H.W. Bush, an advisor to George W. Bush during the recount. John Hurt will play Warren Christopher, secretary of state for Bill Clinton, who advised Gore.
Denis Leary will be Michael Wouley, Gore’s chief field operative.
Jay Roach, who directed the Meet the Parents and Austin Powers franchises, will direct. Executive producers are Paula Weinstein, Sydney Pollack, Len Amato and Roach. The film was written by Danny Strong.
Laura Dern was so likable in Jurassic Park(s) that it should be a challenge for her to play America’s most famous nutcase.
The roles of Poppy and Laura Bush are still open, we’ve noted. Both Bush and Gore have been cast although the actors playing them have not yet been publicly named.
FYI, the roles of Gore and Bush have not been cast, and won’t be. They only appear in actual footage.
Hey falker37, do you have inside scoop? If so, spill! I was going by a newspaper article that said:
“[The casting agency] said they’ve found actors for George Bush and Al Gore, but they’re still trying to find some for Laura Bush and George Bush Sr.
‘My mother found our Al Gore,’ Davidson said. ‘She spotted him at a Mikhail Baryshnikov performance. When we saw him, we said, “That’s him, that’s Al Gore.”"