Director Jay Roach is carving quite the niche for himself: making a mockery of our political system.
Roach is in talks to direct El Presidente, a buddy comedy about a disgraced former President and his Secret Service agent. The comedy, written by Parks and Recreation scribe Dan Goor, sees a sleazy ex-commander-in-chief targeted for assassination go on the run with his bodyguard, who doubtlessly finds his charge insufferable.
In the past five years, Roach has directed the political films Recount and Game Change for HBO, and the upcoming Will Ferrell election comedy The Campaign, his only break from American politics being 2010’s execrable Dinner for Schmucks. Word is that the studio is looking for Tom Cruise to take on the role of the Secret Service agent, with Robert Downey Jr. stepping into the titular executive’s shoes.
It would be a reunion of sorts for the two actors, who both starred in 2008’s Tropic Thunder, though they never shared the screen. Hopefully El Presidente would be a better road trip comedy for Downey than Due Date, which saw respectable grosses but is widely considered to only be semi-watchable.
Source: Vulture