Former Disney Star to Portray Ronald Reagan in Biopic
Former Disney star David Henrie will portray Ronald Reagan in an upcoming biopic, according to an exclusive report from The Hollywood Reporter.
The biopic, titled "Reagan," will be told from the point of view of "a KGB officer keeping tabs on Reagan since his days as an actor, SAG president and staunch anti-communist," the news outlet noted.
The 25-year-old actor expressed his excitement about the project. In a post on his Instagram account, he said, "Woooohoooo! So excited for this and blessed to play such an important figure in our nation's history. I'll be playing lifeguard Reagan... Oh boy short shorts here I come haha."
Henrie is best known for portraying Justin Russo on the Disney Channel series "Wizards of Waverly Place" opposite Selena Gomez, and in "How I Met Your Mother" as the son of Josh Radnor's Ted Mosby. He also appeared in 2013's "Grown Ups 2," as well as in the upcoming films "Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2" and "Little Boy," Cinema Blend reported.
The actor also stars in "Cardboard Boxer" with Thomas Hayden Church, and in the Walt Disney biopic titled "Walt Before Mickey," the outlet added.
Howard Klausner ("Space Cowboys") will direct the $25 million indie film based on two best-selling biographies by author Paul Kengor: "God and Ronald Reagan: A Spiritual Life" and "The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism." Klausner also completed writing the movie's screenplay last year, according to another report by The Hollywood Reporter. Ralph Winter will serve as the executive producer of the biopic. Mark Joseph is also onboard as a producer, the news outlet added. No co-star for Henrie has been announced yet.
"I've been very pleased to see the script develop in a manner that is faithful to my books and ultimately to history," Kengor stated, as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter.
Director of Manifest Film Sales Andrew Brown is also optimistic about the Reagan biopic. He said via The Hollywood Reporter, "Reagan achieved extraordinary things during his lifetime -- many of which are yet untold and will astound audiences worldwide. The former president triumphed over tyranny without firing a single shot."
It's been about five years since the announcement was made about a biopic based on Reagan, Cinema Blend reported. However, this is not the first time that the 40th President of the United States will be brought to life on the big screen. Alan Rickman played the part in Lee Daniels' "The Butler." Michael Douglas will also play Reagan in Baltasar Kormákur's "Reykjavik."