John Lithgow is set to play former Fox News chief Roger Ailes in new film.
The 72-year-old Golden Globe-winning actor has been approached to play the late Ailes – who died last year – in Annapurna’s untitled Charles Randolph project, about the notorious sexual harassment scandal that put an end to his career.
It will be directed by ‘Trumbo’s’ Jay Roach, 61, and will tell the story from the point of view of the women who took on the toxic male culture of Fox News and ultimately led to Roger’s downfall and his depose.
Ailes left the network in 2016 amid a sexual and workplace harassment scandal, and the movie will tell the story of those who were employed by Fox at the time.
The movie boasts an A-List cast which includes Charlize Theron, 43, playing Megyn Kelly, a former Fox News host – she now works with NBC News – who revealed she was subject to CEO Roger’s sexual harassment last year.
Margot Robbie, 28, has also been in talks to appear in the film as a fictional Fox News associate producer named Kayla Pospisil alongside Nicole Kidman, who will play former Fox News anchor, Gretchen Carlson.
Roach will direct from a script by Charles Randolph, an Oscar winner for adapting The Big Short, and Annapurna Pictures will be producing the film alongside ‘Mad Max’ actress, Charlize Theron and Lighthouse Management and Media’s Margaret Riley.
‘Fair and Balanced’ is the working title for the project.