The Roger Ailes movie that was dropped last week by Annapurna Pictures may be saved by Lionsgate, sources told The Hollywood Reporter.
Production for Jay Roach's untitled film was set to start within days when Annapurna suddenly pulled out with no prior warning or reason, although sources later told The Hollywood Reporter that budget issues may be at the heart of the matter.
Since then Focus Features, Amblin and Participant Media were all in the mix to reportedly acquire the star-studded movie but have all since passed.
Lionsgate now appears to be the front-runner to pick up the project, which tells of the rise and fall of the late Fox News chief Ailes and the sexual harassment saga that followed him.
Both a TV series and film revolving around Ailes are currently in the works.
The movie will feature a stellar cast that includes John Lithgow as Ailes and Malcolm McDowell as Rupert Murdoch, The Hollywood Reporter noted. The film will also see the likes of Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie in the mix.
Earlier this month, Leslie Jones cracked the nod of approval from Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner to play her in the film following a convincing impersonation delivered on the season premiere of "Saturday Night Live," although nothing has officially been confirmed.
Meanwhile, Russell Crowe has been cast to portray Ailes in a new miniseries that will appear on the premium cable channel Showtime.
The eight-part miniseries, titled "The Loudest Voice in the Room," is based on the Gabriel Sherman bestseller of the same name and marks Crowe's first regular role on the small screen, Entertainment Weekly noted.
"In many ways, the collision between the media and politics has come to define the world we live in today," said Showtime president and CEO David Nevins. "We've seen this phenomenon depicted on screen as far back as the story of Charles Foster Kane, and it finds contemporary embodiment in the rise and fall of Roger Ailes. With Russell Crowe in the lead role, this limited series promises to be a defining story for this era."
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