With just about a year to go in the presidency of George W. Bush, Oliver Stone has set his sights on a biopic [1] about the nation's 43rd president. Josh Brolin, fresh off his turn in No Country for Old Men [2], has signed on to play the title role.

Bush is sure to be a controversial project coming from Stone, who hasn't exactly been the most subtle critic of the president's administration. But he told Variety his personal feelings about Bush weren't the point. He said [3]:

Here, I'm the referee, and I want a fair, true portrait of the man. How did Bush go from an alcoholic bum to the most powerful figure in the world? It's like Frank Capra territory on one hand, but I'll also cover the demons in his private life, his bouts with his dad and his conversion to Christianity, which explains a lot of where he is coming from. It includes his belief that God personally chose him to be president of the United States, and his coming into his own with the stunning, preemptive attack on Iraq. It will contain surprises for Bush supporters and his detractors.

Well, it's not the most neutral statement I've ever heard (nor is the project's development title of "Misunderestimated" [4]), but I'm still curious to see what Stone will do with this one. I'm also eager to see Brolin go from outlaw to Commander in Chief. I wouldn't have pictured it at first, but Stone pointed out that while "Josh is actually better looking than Bush," they do share a certain old Hollywood swagger.

Source [5]