Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Dick Cheney Films Might Battle It Out on the Festival Circuit
This years AFI Festival might host a battle royale of dueling political biopics. On Tuesday, it was ..
This years AFI Festival might host a battle royale of dueling political biopics. On Tuesday, it was announced that the Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic On the Basis of Sex was set to open the Los Angeles–based event, making its world premiere and formally stepping into the fray that is awards season. The film is directed by AFI alum Mimi Leder and stars Oscar nominee Felicity Jones as Ginsburg. In a statement, Leder noted that she was “one of the first women ever admitted to the AFI Conservatory,” and thus found it particularly meaningful that her film would open the festivities this year.
The festival will open on Nov. 8, just a few days after the 2018 midterm elections—which may mean the movie drops right into the conversation as the nation reels from or revels in whatever the outcome is. This timing and placement also offers the biopic a splashy opening, despite the fact that On the Basis of Sex missed bigger festivals like TIFF and Venice. AFI is one of the few late launchpads where a film can still draw the attention of Academy voters—all the better for them to see Joness potentially Oscar-worthy performance. In a recent cover story for Vanity Fair, Jones spoke about the lengths she went to portray the legendary Supreme Court justice, a process that involved contacts, tooth caps, and hours of practice to perfect Ginsburgs highly specific “ladylike dancer” gait. Jones also, of course, dropped her British accent for the role, working with a dialect coach to try and nail Ginsburgs distinct Brooklyn speech.
But according to Deadline, On the Basis of Sex might not be the only political draw at this years AFI Fest. Its rumored that the Dick Cheney film Vice, directed by Adam McKay, might also make its debut there. That film stars Christian Bale as Cheney, and, as is his wont, the actor made a terrifying physical transformation to full embody the former vice president. Amy Adams also stars as his wife, Lynne Cheney,, making a transformation herself that is, to be fair, less terrifying (although she did have to wear a wig, covering the luscious hair that soaked up so much screen time on Sharp Objects). The rest of the cast includes regular McKay player Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld, Tyler Perry as Colin Powell, and newly minted Oscar winner Sam Rockwell as George W. Bush.
Representatives for AFI Fest have not yet responded to V.F.s request about whether or not the Cheney film will join the lineup. Its emergence certainly would toss a new narrative into the already packed awards race. On one side, a bastion of liberal ideals, an icon of womens rights! On the other, a conservative, Republican crew repeatedly courting international controversy! Who will win? And which director will put on the more gracious losing face when Bradley Cooper sweeps everything with A Star Is Born? Too soon to tell, really.
Get Vanity Fairs HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Full ScreenPhotos:In Photos: Felicity Jones Steps into Ruth Bader Ginsburgs ShoesYohana DestaYohana Desta is a Hollywood writer for VanityFair.com.
