RECOUNT (the movie!) (on edit: i'm not kidding--it's a movie)

[orleans]

This movie will chronicle five weeks between the Nov. 7, 2000, presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore and the December Supreme Court ruling that upheld Florida's count and gave Bush the White House.
http://imdb.com/title/tt1000771/


Kevin Spacey ... Ron Klain

John Hurt ... Warren Christopher

Tom Wilkinson ... James Baker

Laura Dern ... Katherine Harris

Denis Leary ... Michael Whouley

George W. Bush ... Himself (archive footage)

Bob Balaban ... Ben Ginsberg

Ed Begley Jr. ... David Boies

Al Gore ... Himself (archive footage)

"Kevin Spacey hasn't graced the small screen since 1991 when he starred in the biopic 'Darrow.' But he'll be returning to TV this year in HBO Films' 'Recount,' about the controversy surrounding Florida's presidential election results in 2000. Spacey will play VP Al Gore's former chief of staff Ron Klain, one of the attorneys who challenged the results. He'll join an all-star cast including Laura Dern, Denis Leary, John Hurt, Tom Wilkinson and Ed Begley, Jr., in depicting the machinations that went on in both the Gore and Bush camps. Look for 'Recount' just as the 2008 campaign is in full swing.
http://www.hbo.com/news/archives/2007_09_28.html

HBO promises ‘fair’ recount movie made by Dem donors
By The Hill Staff
Posted: 04/03/07 08:01 PM
HBO is planning to make an unbiased film, titled “Recount” and scheduled to premiere early next year, about the 2000 presidential election.

That could be difficult, if not impossible, to pull off, because the director, executive producer, and writer of the movie are all Democrats. Oh, and Colin Callender, the president of HBO Films, is also a D.

The Hollywood Reporter this week quoted Callender as saying the movie won’t take sides and instead would be “a fascinating look at democracy.” Callender has made political donations to then-Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D-Tenn.), Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.).

Executive Producer Paula Weinstein, who has given to Sens. Clinton, Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.), praised Sydney Pollack for being the only director able to deal with the “dramatic twists and turns of the story with honesty and truthfulness.”

Pollack has contributed tens of thousands of dollars to Democrats over the years. Some of the recipients were Clinton, Boxer, and California Reps. Barbara Lee and Maxine Waters. In 1999, however, he gave to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
Daniel Strong, the writer of “Recount,” has claimed he did detailed research and conducted numerous interviews with the people involved.

That is news to one Republican operative who was in the middle of the hanging-chad controversy, who said he knows of no Florida Republican — including former Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Fla.) — who was interviewed by Strong.

Len Amato, the senior vice president of HBO Films who gave $2,000 to Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in 2004, said he can understand the concerns, but noted that his company has a long track record of thoroughly researching its historical topics before filming them.

“Our main intention is getting the story right,” Amato said.

He said the political donations to Democrats will not affect the film, claiming HBO will “bend over backwards” to make the movie fair.

Harris was not interviewed because she was in the midst of a Senate campaign last year, Amato said, adding that several high-profile Republicans were interviewed for the film, including Ben Ginsberg and James Baker III.

http://thehill.com/under-the-dome/hbo-promises-fair-recount-movie-made-by-dem-donors-2007-04-03.html

*jay roach is listed as director on imdb

HBO is switching directors on its movie "Recount," with "Meet the Fockers" helmer Jay Roach stepping in for Sydney Pollack.

The movie, set to air next year, dramatizes the Florida recount that tipped the 2000 presidential race to George W. Bush. Pollack signed on to direct in April but is stepping aside for personal reasons, the showbiz trade papers say.

Roach, who's directed all three "Austin Powers" movies and "Meet the Parents," will take over for Pollack, who remains an executive producer of the film. It will be the first TV movie for Roach, who also directed the 2005 comedy concert "Earth to America" for TBS.

"Recount" was written by actor Danny Strong ("Gilmore Girls," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), who interviewed a number of people involved in the recount before penning the script. No one has been cast yet.

HBO says the film will not take any sides politically but will instead focus on the legal wrangling and back-room dealing that went into the recount. HBO Films president said in announcing the project that it's a "fascinating look at democracy where the rubber meets the road."
http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-jayroachdirectshborecount,0,1726311.story

[orleans]

1. has everyone heard of this already? am i always the last to know? n/t

[orleans]

2. dupe

[vanboggie]

3. I hadn't heard

Any light shed on the problem is awesome. This sounds most interesting. Thanks for posting!