New Movie on Reagan To Be Sold at Cannes Film Festival

May 6th, 2014 12:12 PM

A new biopic about Ronald Reagan is in pre-production, and Paul Bond at The Hollywood Reporter relayed that Manifest Film Sales has picked up international sales rights and will introduce the project to buyers at the Cannes Film Festival.

The producers of the $25 million film, simply called Reagan, "inked a deal for a U.S. release on 3,000 screens and $35 million in prints and advertising." It doesn’t sound like a Oliver Stone hatchet job, but is based on his historic role in bringing down the Soviet empire.

Reagan’s story is told through the eyes of veteran KGB agent Viktor Petrovich, a composite character of KGB agents who closely followed Reagan since his days in Hollywood. Jon Voight is cast in that role.

The script was penned by Howard Klausner (“Space Cowboys”) and is based on two best-selling books by conservative historian and author Paul Kengor -- God and Ronald Reagan: A Spiritual Life and The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism.

“I’ve been very pleased to see the script develop in a manner that is faithful to my books and ultimately to history,” Kengor told Bond.

“Reagan achieved extraordinary things during his lifetime -- many of which are yet untold and will astound audiences worldwide,” said director of Manifest Film Sales Andrew Brown. “The former president triumphed over tyranny without firing a single shot.”

Earlier: Kengor book explains Ted Kennedy made outreach to help Soviet PR against Reagan