HBO's "All The Way" (May 22) (Event Movie)

[Walts Ghost]

Steven Spielberg and Bryan Cranston Could Make LBJ Miniseries

Fresh off a Tony award for Best Actor in a Play, Bryan Cranston could be taking that stage role to the small screen. Steven Spielberg is reportedly in talks to acquire the rights to the Broadway play All the Way, which currently features Cranston playing President Lyndon Baines Johnson. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan, All the Way tells the story of how Johnson dealt with the tumultuous politics of 1964, which included the Vietnam war and the Civil Rights movement.

The hope is that if Spielberg gets the rights to the play, which just won a Tony Award for Best Play, Cranston would reprise the role on TV.

Deadline broke the news of the potential deal. They wisely point out that even if this does happen the broadcast home for the project remains a huge question mark. Spielberg, of course works, with HBO, producing shows like Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Cranston, however, is an AMC guy, winning multiple Emmys for Breaking Bad and reportedly reprising that role (in some way) in the upcoming series Better Call Saul. You’d imagine the producer would carry sway here, and we could see All The Way on HBO. (Schenkkan also has a sequel project, following Johnson through 1968, going into production soon.)

All the Way is on Broadway for the remainder of the month and you can find out more about it here. However, here’s a commercial that shows Cranston as Johnson.

ALL THE WAY: Bryan Cranston in New TV Commercial - YouTube

And here’s the description of the show, which could obviously be changed slightly if adapted to TV, and hypothetically include elements from the sequel, The Kentucky Cycle:

Slashfilm

[Tony208]

You had me at Bryan.

[Walts Ghost]

Originally Posted by Tony208

You had me at Bryan.

Definitely.

[burner xxx]

Also here for Cranston.

Spielberg is just a bonus.

Hoping this gets made.

[AintNoSin]

If they don't get Cranston, Spielberg will probaby get Daniel Day Lewis, and Lewis will stay in character the whole type, insisting on holding script readings in the bathroom while he sits on the toilet.

[djgeneral]

Would be incredible.

[Walts Ghost]

Bryan Cranston to Star in HBO Films’ ‘All the Way’ Adaptation

Bryan Cranston is going “All the Way” with HBO Films. The studio has acquired the rights to the Tony Award-winning play starring Cranston as President Lyndon Johnson, a role that also won him a Tony Award for lead actor. Robert Schenkkan will adapt his play for HBO.

A behind-the-scenes look at President Johnson’s tumultuous first year in office, “All the Way” follows him as he takes the oath following President Kennedy’s assassination, copes with the escalation of the Vietnam War and launches his landmark civil rights bill.

Cranston, who made his Broadway debut in “All the Way,” won not only the Tony Award, but also the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Theater World Awards. He’s also won three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards for “Breaking Bad.” He’s nominated for the show’s final season.

“All the Way” will be produced for HBO by Amblin Television, Tale Told Productions and Moon Shot Entertainment, with Steven Spielberg, Darryl Frank & Justin Falvey, Robert Schenkkan and Bryan Cranston executive producing, and James Degus co-executive producing.

Variety

[djgeneral]

So glad this is confirmed! When would it be out? Fall 2015?

[Moviefan1203]

Is this going to be a miniseries?

[djgeneral]

Originally Posted by Moviefan1203

Is this going to be a miniseries?

Yes

[rickah88]

Lyndon Johnson era, Spielberg involved, Cranston involved...yeah I'm so in on this.

[Walts Ghost]

Anthony Mackie Will Be the MLK to Bryan Cranston’s LBJ in ‘All the Way’

Captain America’s big-screen buddy is set to portray another, even greater, American icon. Anthony Mackie will play Martin Luther King Jr. in HBO Films’ All the Way, opposite Bryan Cranston as U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson. More details on the Anthony Mackie Martin Luther King Jr. casting after the jump.

All the Way is a screen adaptation of Robert Schenkkan‘s Tony-winning play. Cranston starred in the stage version from 2013 to 2014, and won a Tony for his efforts. The HBO version is being directed by Jay Roach and executive produced by Steven Spielberg along with Roach, Cranston, Schenkkan, Darryl Frank, and Justin Falvey. Production is slated to begin this September.

The story picks up right after the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963 made LBJ president, and follows him through his eventful first year in office. That period included Johnson’s signing of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, and ended with his re-election by a landslide in 1964.

Deadline notes the MLK role is a significant one. Brandon J. Dirden played the character in the show’s Broadway production. Mackie has big shoes to fill. Not only is King a towering and familiar figure, but the last major onscreen portrayal of him was David Oyelowo’s Oscar-worthy (and sadly Oscar-snubbed) performance in Selma.

Actually, All the Way is in some ways the flipside to Selma. Whereas Ava DuVernay’s drama chronicled the fight from MLK’s perspective, All the Way centers on LBJ’s efforts to push through the Civil Rights Act. Other key characters in the play include Lady Bird Johnson, J. Edgar Hoover, Hubert Humphrey, and Richard Russell.

Mackie is currently shooting Captain America: Civil War, in which he reprises his Avengers: Age of Ultron role as Falcon. He’ll be seen later this year in Jonathan Levine’s holiday comedy X-Mas, the John Hillcoat crime drama Triple Nine, and the David Gordon Green drama Our Brand Is Crisis.

Slashfilm

[DisneyBlu]

I was already sold with Bryan Cranston, but Cranston and Mackie? Awesome.

[djgeneral]

Wow, over a year this has been in talks. I'm ready for it!

[Walts Ghost]

All The Way: Long Lead Tease (HBO Films) - YouTube

[Elbie]

This looks interesting. I will watch.

Mackie as Dr. King?

Hopefully he surprises me.