Remember when Jay Roach directed comedies? The director hit it big with the first two films in both the ‘Austin Powers’ and ‘Meet the Parents’ franchises. But lately, the filmmaker has left the mainstream comedy world in the dust as he focuses on more serious efforts like the films “Game Change” and “Trumbo.” And according to a new report, he’s sticking to the world of drama for his next film.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Roach is directing a film chronicling the rise and fall of Fox News chairman Roger Ailes and the first member of the cast to sign up is none other than Charlize Theron. The film, as-yet-untitled, is described as an ensemble project that follows Ailes and the various figures involved with Fox News during his time there. In fact, Theron will portray none other than Megyn Kelly, who had her own troubled history with the Fox News exec.
As you may know, Kelly found herself at the center of a great deal of Fox News controversy when she refused to support Ailes as accusations of inappropriate conduct mounted against the chairman. At the time, Kelly was one of the highest profile hosts on the channel but eventually left to join NBC, where she hosts a show currently.
The Roger Ailes film is written by Charles Randolph, who won an Academy Award for the film “The Big Short.” THR is reporting that Theron is just one of the stars that will sign on to the film, which is said to feature other prominent Fox News figures like Gretchen Carlson, Greta Van Susteren, Rupert Murdoch, and Bill O’Reilly. It definitely doesn’t sound like this is the type of film that will be complementary to many of these characters, so it’ll be interesting to see who signs on to play the real-life roles.
As mentioned at the beginning, Roach isn’t interested in comedy nowadays, and in addition to this film, recently signed on to helm a TV adaptation of Michael Wolff’s Trump exposé, “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.”
