A four-hour miniseries set to screen on NBC about former first lady Hillary Clinton has been scrapped, just one day after a similar project being made by CNN was also dropped. Clinton, who is thought to be prepping a campaign for the 2016 US Presidential election, was a hot subject matter for the American networks a few months ago and not much information is being given for the reason for NBC’s decision. Their spokesperson announced:
“After reviewing and prioritizing our slate of movie/mini-series development, we’ve decided that we will no longer continue developing the Hillary Clinton mini-series.”
It is thought Diane Lane (UNFAITHFUL, MAN OF STEEL) was going to play the politician in the miniseries until today’s announcement. Clinton’s rivals in the Republican party were said to be disgruntled by the projects which they feared would show the potential Democratic candidate in a positive light to voters. The director of the CNN project also scrapped this week, Charles Ferguson (INSIDE JOB), has outwardly admitted that his documentary could not be made in light of pressure from the Clintons:
“CNN gave me complete control (“final cut”) over the theatrical version, and a generous budget. When I approached people for interviews, I discovered that nobody, and I mean nobody, was interested in helping me make this film. Not Democrats, not Republicans — and certainly nobody who works with the Clintons, wants access to the Clintons, or dreams of a position in a Hillary Clinton administration”.
Looks like things are getting tense over on the other side of the Atlantic. One Hillary Clinton project that is still going ahead is RODHAM; still in very early stages of development but with a script that featured on 2012’s ‘Black List’ from Young Il Kim. On board to direct that project is James Ponsoldt, a director gaining fans after 2012’s SMASHED and THE SPECTACULAR NOW, which is due to screen at the London Film Festival this month. Already rumours of leading ladies including Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Chastain and Scarlett Johansson have surfaced with Brit Carey Mulligan reportedly turning down the role. Whoever eventually takes on the role you can bet a whole lot of attention will be coming their way from Democrats and Republicans alike!
Source: LA Times / Huffington Post
