If I was into cats, which I'm not, I would definitely consider Clint Eastwood the cat's meow. Anytime there is news of a new Eastwood project I get a little pep in my step and usually start breakdancing. It's still a bit early in the morning for breakdancing but my downstairs neighbors can attest to me breaking out the worm this morning. Adding to the excitement is the fact that this project is about the uber controversial and slightly insane J Edgar Hoover.
Eastwood is teaming with Brian Grazer and Ron Howard's Imagine Entertainment on the pic, which was initially set up at Universal, where Imagine has been developing it. Dustin Lance Black, who wrote biopic "Milk," penned the script.
Hoover was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935 and turned it into an efficient crimefighting organization. He remained its director until his death in 1972, but his sculpted persona was already coming apart at the seams; he employed the FBI to harass political activists and used illegal methods to make secret files on leaders. Many biographies also assert the man was a closeted homosexual and cross-dresser.
The Hoover project isn't set up at a studio, though it will most likely end up at Warner Bros., where Eastwood and his Malpaso shingle are based, as a Malpaso-Imagine production. Malpaso's Robert Lorenz also would serve as a producer in addition to Eastwood and Grazer. [via thr]
I try to like most people but I have a severe distaste for J Edgar Hoover. Aside from being a corrupt self-loather, he was also prominently involved in the career of douche nozzle Joseph McCarthy, not to mention essentially waged war against my all time favorite person Charlie Chaplin. I'm hoping Clint is looking at this as a way to enlighten the world to the dangerous aspects that Hoover brought into the American government, as opposed to the standard dramatic fare where we are "peeling the layers off a troubled and misunderstood soul".
Billy Crudup just played Hoover in Michael Mann's Public Enemies, but this role will be a lot more substantial, as it appears we will be covering a much wider range of history. Normally I'd take this as an opportunity to suggest Tony Danza for the role but I figured Hoover would have thought Danza was a communist so we'll skip that. Phillip Seymour Hoffman anybody? Bueller? Bueller?
Also, check out this "communist". God he is awesome. Weird how everything still applies from a speech in a 1940 movie. That's some good writing.
