Movies

Dick Cheney Biopic From Director Adam McKay Now Called 'Vice'

Dick Cheney Biopic
By Chris Evangelista/

Adam McKay has been working on his Dick Cheney biopic since mid-2017, and before 2018 is over, we'll get to see it. For the longest time, the film was known by its working title – Backseat. Now, the official title has been confirmed by McKay himself: Vice. Christian Bale gained a considerable amount of weight to the play the infamous former Vice President, and he leads a cast that includes Amy Adams, Steve Carell, and Sam Rockwell.

Aside from some set photos, very few people have seen anything from Adam McKay's Dick Cheney biopic. But test screenings have commenced as the film approaches its awards season release date. One such test screening resulted in McKay finally confirming the film's title.

And that's not all: McKay also confirmed a trailer is imminent.

I've heard we might see the trailer as soon as next week, but that's not confirmed yet. Vice follows the rise of Dick Cheney as he becomes one of the most powerful Vice Presidents in American history. It's easy to forget here in the current political hellscape of 2018, but Cheney's tenure as VP was the stuff of infamy, with many pundits postulating that it was he, not George W. Bush, who was really pulling the strings. McKay's film will no doubt lean into this portrayal of Cheney. In fact, it's safe to assume Vice won't paint Cheney in a particularly good light.

McKay has put together a phenomenal cast for this film – Christian Bale plays Dick Cheney; Amy Adams takes on the role of Cheney's wife Lynne; Steve Carell is former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld; Tyler Perry is former Secretary of State Colin Powell; and Sam Rockwell will portray George W. Bush. As you no doubt noticed, none of these actors resembles the historical figures they're playing, which indicates McKay will bury them under wigs and make-up – similar to what he did with the cast of The Big Short. In fact, Carell previously called the film a "spiritual successor" to The Big Short, saying: "[McKay is] so smart, and he's so funny. The Cheney movie is going to be sort of a kindred spirit movie to The Big Short. It's gonna have a similar vibe to it."

Ever the method actor, Bale packed on pounds to portray Cheney. "I've just been eating a lot of pies," Bale said when asked to explain how he gained the weight. Multiple pies?! Talk about the glamorous life of a movie star!



Vice opens December 14, 2018.

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