This is a project that’s been picking up steam the last few days, and it’s getting Hollywood all in a tizzy. There’s this script called El Presidente by Dan Goor, who’s written for Parks and Recreation as well as some late-night stuff with Conan O’Brien and Jon Stewart. It tells the story of a bumbling ex-President and the secret service agent assigned to protect him from his own shenanigans. Tom Cruise has already latched on to the project as the agent, and now come word via The LA Times that Warner Bros. is trying to lure Jack Nicholson in as the President.
It’s been 18 years since the two were last seen yelling at each other in A Few Good Men, and WB is hoping they can still not get along on-screen all these years later. The story is a “road” tale; the two are on the run together when an assassination threat is made against the ex-President. This would allow Cruise to play the straight-man to Nicholson’s wacky character, and the studio is hoping ol’ Jack agrees to the role so they can fire up the hype machine.
I don’t know what the devil to make of this. Their chemistry worked in A Few Good Men because they hated each other, but with El Presidente they would be running around the country working together. I get the feeling the window of opportunity for this kind of film, with these two especially, closed years ago. It’s still very early in the process, so this might not even happen, so temper your hate for it until more information comes out.
There’s always a chance it won’t be horrible.