"W" may not be Oscar-winning
director Oliver Stone's first political biopic or even his
first controversial film, but it may be his first comedy.
Stone, who has made movies of past presidents including
Richard M. Nixon, is now shooting "W," about President George
W. Bush's life, and the film has already stirred up controversy
in Hollywood for what Stone may -- or may not -- say.
His first words on the film: "Bush is funny."
"This movie can be funnier because Bush is funny," Stone
told Entertainment Weekly magazine in the issue that hits
newsstands on Friday.
"He's awkward and goofy and makes faces all the time. He's
not your average president. So let's have some fun with it,"
Stone said.
The director, 61, is best known for Vietnam war films such
as "Platoon" and "Born on the Fourth of July," as well as
thriller "Natural Born Killers" and political dramas "JFK" and
"Nixon," which met with controversy for his looks at John F.
Kennedy's assassination and Nixon's doomed presidency.
"W" has snapshots of a 26-year-old Bush crashing his car
into his parents' lawn in Washington, D.C., interspersed with
Bush, as president, playfully stealing a mint from U.S.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, according to the story in
Entertainment Weekly.
"It's almost Capra-esque, the story of a guy who had very
limited talents in life, except for the ability to sell
himself," Stone said of Bush's life.
Frank Capra, of course, is the director of homespun
American movies such as 1939's "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"
and 1946's "It's a Wonderful Life."
While "W" will not likely to redeem the increasingly
unpopular president's image, it delves into a life overshadowed
by events and people larger in stature than him. Stone even
admits to admiring some of the president's attributes.
"The fact that he had to overcome the shadow of his father
and the weight of his family name, you have to admire his
tenacity" Stone said.
But Stone was unable to find funding for "W" from a major
Hollywood studio, so he resorted to independent financing. He
and his producers aim to have the movie in theaters before this
November's presidential election and maybe as soon as October.
Stone signed Josh Brolin to play Bush and Elizabeth Banks,
First Lady Laura Bush. Other cast members include James
Cromwell as former President George H.W. Bush and Ellen Burstyn
as former First Lady Barbara Bush. Thandie Newton plays Rice.
One key figure not yet cast is Vice President Dick Cheney.
(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
In Theaters 
