
EXCLUSIVE: HBO has optioned the book Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency by Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Barton Gellman for a miniseries to be executive produced by Paula Weinstein.
The mini, which will be based on the bestselling book and the FRONTLINE documentary The Dark Side, tells the story of Richard Bruce Cheney from his early days as Donald Rumsfeld’s protégé in the Nixon administration, to the nation’s youngest Chief of Staff under President Ford, to serving as Secretary of Defense under George H.W. Bush, through two controversial terms as Vice President under President George W. Bush. According to the producers, the project will center on Cheney’s “single-minded pursuit of enhanced power for the Presidency (that) was unprecedented in the nation’s history.”
Rick Cleveland (Six Feet Under), who shared a writing Emmy with Aaron Sorkin for NBC’s White House drama The West Wing, is writing the mini, produced by Spring Creek Prods. in association with WGBH/FRONTLINE and Fair Catch Prods. Spring Creek’s Paula Weinstein and Jeffrey Levine, FRONTLINE’s David Fanning and Michael Kirk and Fair Catch Prods.’ David Kennedy are executive producing.
This is the second HBO longform project about prominent Republican party figures announced in the past few weeks. The pay cable network also has greenlit Game Change, a Jay Roach-directed movie, which follows John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign from his selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate to their ultimate defeat in the general election. Julianne Moore has been cast as the former Alaska governor.
Weinsetein has executive produced 2 Emmy-winning HBO mini about major political events/figures: the 2008 Recount, about the 2000 Florida recount, and the 1995 Truman. She is also exec producing HBO’s upcoming Too Big To Fail, about the 2008 financial meltdown. On screen, Cheney was most recently portrayed by Richard Dreyfuss in Oliver Stone’s W.
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.


Must cast Darrell Hammond.
I would like to see Cheney debate the authors writing this book about details they will include in it with their slant. If you know anything about Cheney you know that he is a very smart man. He would chew them up just like he does anyone he faces on TV. Liberals feared Cheney so they labeled him. If you listen to Cheney talk about any subject he is on the mark and he doesn’t come across as an angry man because he’s not. I have a lot of respect for him.
Andy is right on! I would not like to have seen our government with out Dick Cheney
Especially cover his draft dodging ,ducking the military days as a young man,his “I had other priorites then wearing the uniform”,maybe this person you admire so much can revise his heart trouble to occur ten years earlier. remf
More left wing revisionist history.
Why not cast Michael Moore?
The Right Wing defintitely sent out their memo to each other this morning to blog here with certain “talking points.”
That said the always ungracious and douche baggy Len Amato has such a narrow focus at HBO and only wants to work with the same handful of people from his days as an exec at Spring Creek. His interests are all about “ripped from the headlines.” Did anyone get through “A Special Relationship.” His movies can’t reach out of the range of five minutes ago and giving jobs to his friends. His job is one of the best in town and this is what he chooses to do with it?
Well, at least the “right wing” posters are articulate and polite, for the most part. You, on the other hand, are crass, crude and foul-mouthed. Typical of the liberal/progressive posters. Dick Cheney has “class”. You, sir, do not!
Dude, you are such a loser. You run to whatever blog or site is talking about one of your heroes and regardless of what you read you’ll just decide to slam it. And you have enough time in the day to post your flip little gibes even on a show business blog. You must troll the web daily for any mention of Republicans so you can, what would you call it, uh, “fight for justice” when the people you fight for don’t give a good goddamn about you at all. To them you’re just another person voting against your personal self interest. Imagine if you spent that much time trying to improve yourself, you might actually be something.
…and you, seemingly, have enough time in the day to write a mini-essay whining about someone else’s post. LOL.
Well, “dude,” the fact is that one of the major writers for this series, and the producers, have exhibited an unfortunate tendency in the recent past to wallow in the most absurd examples of revisionist histories since those clowns Michael Moore and Oliver Stone. To say nothing of the source books, which are lefty diatribes that stray toward hilarity and satire with their gross misrepresentations.
too much coffee?
Morons can’t write without profanity. Some time try to think before you write.
Moore wouldn’t do. He has hair while Cheney doesn’t. Cheney has a brain while Moore doesn’t. Besides, Moore’s a BIG, FAT IDIOT.
Dick Cheney is one of the slickest con men in Washington. The man belongs in prison. Nigeria came damn close to putting his ass there but received a bribe from Haliburton instead to keep his ass out. I could right a book about this clown. George Bush his good buddy was his protector.
We would rather see a documentary about how a man without a birth certificate became president of the United States, then overthrew it by making himself king. Ah, oh… I think we don’t have to do that one, its unfolding in front of our eyes, but to be safe we should do it so those with their eyes wide shut can understand what happened later.
I would be interested in this documentary …..
Trust me: This will be anything BUT a documentary.
“Rick Cleveland (Six Feet Under), who shared a writing Emmy with Aaron Sorkin for NBC’s White House drama The West Wing, is writing the mini…”
Did I miss something? Dick Cheney left office years ago.
…and he was a VICE President. Libs are getting desperate to take the heat off of their failing Marxist President
BINGO
Actually he was President, because the other Smuck couldn’t get out of his own way.
Boy! Will this ever be a Hit Piece!
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…HBO might want to ask for a ratings recount. The Sunday night premiere of its much-discussed original movie covering the 2000 presidential election fiasco was seen by modest number of viewers when compared to the network’s other high-profile projects. “Recount” was seen by 1 million HBO subscribers, which is on par with the network’s last film, February’s lesser-known Susan Sarandon telepic “Bernard and Doris.
AND THEY ARE ALLOWING HER TO FAIL UP??? AH, WHY??????I own TWX stock. I’m pissed
This so clearly stinks of trying to get a political show on the air before HOUSE OF CARDS drops. HBO – you’ve got great programming, stop looking in the rear view. Don’t let this loss to Netflix become your downfall!!!
Can James Earl Jones play him in full Vader drag?
Now that I would watch
HBO, under pressure, cancells it broadcasting of the Kennedy as it was written by a conservative. Now, it agrees to broadcast two programs about concertivies written by two liberals. Funny how that works out?
Yes, very funny. And guess what, the conservative will not threaten to sue like the liberal did and guess what else, the conservative let’s you make up your own mind.
Wow, it’s like the whole REAGAN’S thing never happened.
+1.
It was The History Channel, not HBO, that canceled “The Kennedys” miniseries. As usual, “conservatives” can never get their facts straight!
Poor Otto, just another useful stooge for the democrats.. their is alot of them.
How many of those straw dogs do you keep in your closet?
We finally dropped HBO in January. We were subscribing to the entire HBO package. We were finally fed up by its unbelievable LIBERAL slant in every show that they produce.
They aren’t satisfied with a show on vampires. They have to make it an allegory about their liberal social views. They aren’t satisfied with a show about the “virtues” (cough cough) of bigamy and polygamy. They have to also infuse their own social views and stereotype people who disagree with those views. They aren’t happy with stand up comedy; They employ Bill Maher and his brand of radical liberal extremism.
In addition, HBO’s late night lineup is filled with pornographic shows. We can’t count the times that someone accidentally tuned to HBO to see what was on and suddenly encountered shows like REAL SEX.
Enough is enough.
On top of it all, HBO just doesn’t have many movies anymore. They just show one or two newer movies with dozens of old films that no one really wants to watch.
I would rather spend $8 a month on Netflix. At least we can pick and choose what we watch…and not fear that our money is being used to produce some extremely liberal propaganda disguised as peachy television shows.
Go figure.
:-\
Beware the evil Liberals!
I didn’t say that they were “evil.”
However, they do arrogantly assume that everyone else who disagrees with their social, political or moral views are “evil.”
Make sense?
Well, you are.
And racist.
I don’t think anyone who’s ever seen an episode of “Big Love” could remotely describe it as “pro-polygamy,” given how incredibly screwed up Bill Paxton’s character’s life is and all the stress he’s under. That show’s the farthest thing there is from an ad for polygamy, which makes me suspect you’ve never actually seen an episode.
Alan Ball did indeed use True Blood as a partial allegory for the experience of gay & lesbian Americans, probably because he himself is gay, and it’s actually one of the more interesting things about the show (which is HBO’s highest-rated show since The Sopranos, suggesting putting him in charge was a smart bet). Do you begrudge gay people for making TV shows about gay people?
Also, there’s more than enough scheduling information available–some of it ON THE VERY TV–to avoid “accidentally” turning on “Real Sex.”
Fox has learned that if you want the numbers? Fair and Balanced is the way to go. They might be slanted to the right…but that is because there is no one else doing that. They still offer the other side for ‘liberal’ (NOT Marxist) viewers.
Heh, funny…we did exactly the same thing a few months ago…dropped HBO and went with Netflix….and now we’re about to take it a step farther and get rid of Comcast as well.
We have HBO slanted views you have FOX.
I completely agree. Slam the conservative, protect the liberal. Why does HBO waste their money like this? They bemoaned how expensive a great series like Rome was to produce yet they have money for hatchet jobs to please their liberal friends at cocktail parties. Very pathetic HBO.
This could be really interesting. As much as I absolutely dislike Dick Cheney and everything he stands for, I do find him fascinating.
I’m particularly interested in how did Cheney turn into Darth Vader. I’m not kidding–there must have been something in his biography that turned him into this sullen neo-con hellbent on revenge and power.
Actually, a lot of insiders have commented about how Cheney DID change, both personally and politically, over the years. If they focus on THAT, rather than just rehashing rhetoric, it has the makings of a geniunely interesting role for the right actor.
My point exactly. Good to see at least one rational response of DHD today.
But why would you expect that insight from the “West Wing” crowd? Come on, you know what’s coming…
Dick Cheney “turned into Darth Vader”… in your mind. It was a product of the leftist media incessantly villanizing the man. The mainstream media knew that many weak minds would be susceptible to their constant mantra of evil.
Congratulations. You swallowed their propaganda hook, line and sinker.
Looks like you got your talking points from Rush Limbaugh. Congrats on your original thinking.
completely jealous here, I’d be honored to have my critiques of our policy makers compared to Rush. After all, Rush is right.
That is funny. Pot meet kettle. Which liberal moron thinks for you?
MacGuffin blathered: “Looks like you got your talking points from Rush Limbaugh. Congrats on your original thinking.”
Near as I can tell, Limbaugh never said anything approaching the comment you replied to. So, do you take ANY criticism of liberalism to be a regurgitation of Rush Limbaugh’s show? In that case, you are wallowing in willful ignorance and are not in any position to critique the thinking skills of others.
Please do not use the words “liberal” and “thinking sklls” in the same sentence.
I never listen to Rush and I agree with noseitall completely. VP Cheney is a great man and loves his country. I can’t say the same for the present people in power.
I don’t know what you think the media did, but the facts on the ground during the Cheney years demonstrate that he and Bush did enormous damage to this country.
Gary, really? You mean like quadruple the deficit in two years? Like strongarm congressmen into voting for a healthcare bill that will further bankrupt the U.S.? You mean like cancel school vouchers in D.C. for poor kids? Oh wait…
I don’t know what you think the media did, but the facts on the ground during the Cheney years demonstrate that he and Bush did enormous damage to this country.
I think they did enormous damage to left wing liberalism
Obama=good, Bush=bad.
The liberal mind sure is really simple. Funny how if you bothered to check the record, you’d realize which presidency skirts the law more.
Yeah and 2+2=5.
Dick Cheney turned into Darth Vader via the Dem attack machine. This is why the Dems call for civility in public discourse is a great big joke.
And this is exactly why HBO is going with these projects….because enough Bush/Cheney/Palin-Deranged moonbats will suck up this garbage (designed to appeal to their preconceived notions). And yet, these very same hypocrites who applaud yet another left wing hit-job against a conservative want Fox News off the air. Go figure.
yeah, 9/11
Dick Cheney was “turned” into Darth Vader by the left wing, progressive new/entertainment/Hollywood media. Just as I’m sure he will be vilified by HBO (a staunch supporter of left wing politics)in their “new” efforts.
I have followed Dick Cheney’s career my entire adult life, and I have nothing but the utmost respect for his intelligence and integrity. (Unlike his critics, which have neither.)
For this reason, I will NEVER subscribe to HBO, nor will I knowingly support them in ANY way.
FWIW, what conservatives has HBO vilified in the past?
Wow. So you are one of the 14% that approved of him. I give you credit for admitting it (unless, of course, your post was satire)
And I am among the tens of thousands here in Massachusetts who approved of, and admired the intelligence, thoughtfulness and patriotism of Mr. Cheney. I am also a mamber of the millions of his supporters who have NEVER been polled on the question. Polls are for trolls.
Wow. This is almost laughable.
Don’t tell me that you are really dumb enough and weak-minded enough to believe the spin that Dick Cheney is some wicked “Darth Vader” type of puppet master who “controlled” the White House?
This goes to prove that Liberals will believe ANYTHING if someone infuses some semblance of their own socio-political views into the propaganda.
Why is it that Liberals think that everything is due to “evil” and “conspiracy” when people disagree with them? After all, Liberals represent only 18% of the nation — yet they have the audacity to call the other 82% of Americans (Moderates and Conservatives) a group of “fanatics.”
It would be funny…if it wasn’t so incredibly sad. And you wonder why the modern DNC lost so many seats in the last election? Keep it up! Your fanaticism is helping the Republicans more than your cranial capacity can comprehend!
Funny you mention Darth Vader, I was thinking Emperor Palpatine.
Yawn.
Hard to take these guys seriously anymore. They put out a fluff piece on the Life & Times of Ted Kennedy just prior to his passing….and follow it up w/ something like this?
Reminds me of Ron Howard’s Richard Nixon/David Frost debacle from a few years ago. Yeah, nothing ought to pack ‘em in 30 years after the fact like a re-telling of the Nixon/Frost interviews. Riveting subject matter there!
How am I supposed to take anything they produce without a grain of salt? I’m from MA and anything but a Cheney apologist but gimme a break.
The only thing I remember about the Nixon/Frost interviews was Nixon answering a question about the greatest threat to the west.
During the height of the cold war he said it was “radical Islam”
Couldn,t stand the man but he was right on that.
Frost almost laughed at him!
It occurs to me that like the Linden B Johnson quote before we stabbed south Vietnam in the back. “They call upon us to supply American boys to do the job that Asian boys should do.” Like he felt no kinship with the South Vietnamese, I feel, I have no kinship with many of my fellow liberal citizens post Nixon and Chaney. Bottle that and there is your hit. Its not their fault at all. I feel post Chaney, a further lack of concern for freedoms, I just call it a fife lesson and move on. The US/liberal views that are Hollywood stereotyped as our national character are just that. The constitution is just a piece of paper. Perhaps our illusion of security being broken was what put the last nail in the coffin for me. I also cant express in word how tired I am of being robbed each paycheck to fight GWOT. Who are we fighting in the name of these elite liberals these days? Cavemen or is it the planet of the apes? I am just about tired of paying my tax money fighting for liberals with whom I have less in common with than the Taliban. At least they have a god. The most insane this is that as they rid themselves of liberalism withing their societies, our liberals cant seem to import enough of the Jihadist types. Where do libs think its written that I, a conservative, owe them this solidarity? Bad enough I will still have to continue to pay for the Public broadcasting\PBS tripe that Frost’s liberal slant was all about so long ago.
This once again shows how desperate and pathetic the left continues to be. What a joke—–
Man, the right-wingnut trolls are out today! When did Drudge Report bottom-feeders start reading film industry blogs?
Right wing trolls? Bottom feeders? No…I dare say we are people who are already attempting to make a mockery of what is sure to be a less than ‘fair and balanced’ look at the life of a dedicated public servant who tirelessly attempted to make this country a better place. It is you, the leftist trolls here who are so desperate so convince each other that you are right and the rest of us are wrong. Good luck with that pal!
“single-minded pursuit of enhanced power for the Presidency (that) was unprecedented in the nation’s history.”
Wow. That sounds more like Barry Hussein Soteoro and his band of libs. He had EPA control carbon and the FCC control internet although Congress has told them that’s THEIR job, using executive orders. Silly libtards.
Wow, did you think up that comment all on your own? Or did you consult with the Inbred Tea Bag Handbook for reference? There’s definitely a place for your type of extremism and ignorance, it’s called the Middle East. Do us all a favor and get out of my country.
Hee hee hee — an outraged lib who wants conservatives thrown out of his country…for not thinking or saying what he wants them to think or say. My old man used to say that about hippies back in the 70s, and we all laughed. Dude, get this straight: we outnumber you. More people identify themselves as conservative than lib. It’s a fact; live with it. Your use of words like “inbred” and “extremism” just shows you have little argument to back up your fear.
It’s cool, though. Just relax: in two years a conservative will be back in the People’s House (and not jetting off to Rio with the wife while ducking the American public), and you can have purpose in your life again; you can rail against the evil “neo-cons” while you tell others to do as you say, not as you do.
YAY!!!!!!!!!
Liberals are intolerant. No substance. Just a bunch of bullies.
So “Liberals = Losers,” if you’re interested in elevating the debate, why is your handle an ad hominem attack on the side of the debate with which you disagree?
The EPA regulating a negative externality like carbon emission falls nicely within the confines of the “general welfare” clause, and when were you ever restricted from posting whatever inane garbage spills out of your indoctrinated mouth on the internet? Really, has anyone ever gotten an FCC decency complaint for something published on the internet (the single largest repository of pornography ever assembled)?
Chaney worked tirelessly to make sure that every website you ever visit or phone call you ever place can be recorded without your knowledge or a court order. Chaney worked tirelessly to make sure that the President could name any person he saw fit as an “enemy combatant” and hold them indefinitely without habeas corpus. And who could forget, “Reagan showed us that deficits don’t matter”. A true patriot to be sure.
If liberals are bullies, conservatives must be the victims, right?
In other news, water is no longer wet.
Why is it that your ilk when presented with anything that they might disagree with feels the need to insult and basically bash the offending party? Can you smell the tolerance?
I do …and it has a sulphur type of stench…
Steve….you know how you’ve won an argument with a liberal? All you have to do is read the venom in “My teabags” post. He can’t compete, so he resorts to that. But we EXPECT that from liberals.
Want to anger a conservative? Tell him a lie.
What to anger a liberal? Tell him the truth.
Works every time.
- Rush Limbaugh
an uncivil useful liberal idiot
“Wow, did you think up that comment all on your own? Or did you consult with the Inbred Tea Bag Handbook for reference? There’s definitely a place for your type of extremism and ignorance, it’s called the Middle East. Do us all a favor and get out of my country.”
Wow, nice piece of hatespeech, but that’s what we’ve all come to expect from the trolls in the regressive Liberal/Socialist party these days. It’s “agree with me or we cast you out.” Well it seems extremism and ignorance is universal.. but from the sounds of TeaBag’s post intolerance and hate are the solely the province of the regressive Liberal haters and racists.
Oh, by the way, it’s not your country, Troll…. it’s OUR country. Go read a book.
You win.
Actually its both our country’s, but by all means keep fanning the hate.
Shave and a haircut…
YOUR country. have you fought for it? Defended it against the Communists like the one that is occupying the White House. Please show us your DD214 when responding.
Keep your vulgarity to your self. You don’t have an intelegent arguement so you trash talk. What an idiot. By the way I’ve never been to tea party event but I have heard a few of the speakers, they didn’t trash talk. They presented Ideas. I also noticed that when they left a venue it was clean, not so when the Lefties left trash knee deep.
This is an example of moonbat lunacy at its finest. Love the moniker buddy. You stay classy now!
How much did they pay you to post on here?
-
A partisan ploy before the 2012 elections. your democratic party affiliations are showing. Why not produce a documentary of incompetent over their head presidents starting with Obama, Jimmy Carter, etc?
And conservatives should not fall for this, and watch any nonsense put out by the Democrat media. They can’t exist without the 60% of Americans that identify themselves as conservatives. So if conservatives turn it off or don’t go (to the movies) the leftist media withers away and dies!
“Incompetent”?? Open up a webster and you’ll see Dubya’s picture right there. Oh, wait…they replaced it with Sarah Failin’s picture…
DO YOU THINK THEYLL SHOW HIM ORDERING THAT STAND DOWN OF NORAD ON 9/11?
OR WORSHIPING THE DEVIL? OR RAPING KIDS?
Paula should give this a fair shake, joke, this will suck.
It should be framed as a reality show: The Biggest Dick.
That is something YOU’LL never have to worry about…..
Maybe HBO can shed some light on why Darth Cheney snarls all the time.
I’m sure it will be a fair and balanced look at Cheney’s life. And interesting, yeah interesting.
Damn, my tinfoil is loose again.
Richard Dreyfuss did the perfect Cheney in Oliver Stone’s “W” they should get Dreyfuss to star in this at least as the older Cheney.
Agreed. Dreyfuss was great. I think William Hurt would also have to be a consideration for playing Cheney.
Richard Dreyfuss was the first name that came to mind, but his political activism — fairly or not — would probably cut against the series’ credibility.
It’s going to be a vampire film, right?
Unless HBO does a fair portrayal of the man, they might as well forget it. ratings for HBO are already in the tank…A leftist portrayal will be nothing more than a parody. Mr. Cheney regularly shutdown debates with a voluminous memory and can rattle off details and facts faster than his opponents and their microphones can keep up.
He’s not Darth Vader. He’s a politician you happen to disagree with. Grow up and stop watching too much television.
I think you meant “Grow up and stop watching too much Left Wing television.
I agree that he isn’t Darth Vader. Vader went to the dark side, Cheney was born there.
Ooooooooh, zinger.
This “film” could be really interesting. As much as I absolutely support Dick Cheney and everything he stands for, I also find the lefts obsession with him fascinating.
I’m particularly interested in how the left turns Cheney into Darth Vader and tries to make it stick. I’m not kidding – there must have been something in their KoolAid that turned them into sullen, hellbent homosexual scroads bent on GOP revenge and illegally retaining power.
Yes, it must be that we are all butt-reaming homosexuals that cause us left-wing radicals/Socialists/Obama-loving Muslims to have the temerity to understand who Dick Cheney is and how he came about his beliefs.
Let’s not question our politicians or question authority in any way, either, and let’s never challenge our own dogma and orthodoxy.
Exactly – I’m sure your intention is to find out more about Dick Cheney and make a reasoned conclusion on your own – because there is no better source for the truth than an HBO movie. You mental midget. Like the Left EVER looks at things from a reasoned objective stance – if they did we’d certainly hear them whining about the actions Obutthead is undertaking that they crucified President Bush for, becasue after all it’s not aprtisan is it butt buddies? It’s all about moral outrage sin;t it – lame hypocrite racist pillow nibblers.
I’ve got a question for our “authority”… Where’s the birth certificate? Come on, is it really that hard to find your own birth certificate? I’m just taking MacGuffin’s advice. OK libs, start calling me a racist, homophobe, ignorant, right-wing looney! All I did was question our “authority”, right?
Oh good, the birther argument. We haven’t seen that one yet . . . today.
You are not racist, homophobic, or a right-wing looney. But you are ignorant.
The hell you blabbering about??
notice how there are no facts in his post, Liberals find facts confusing at best… and like Kryptonite at the worst.
If HBO wants a quality movie, Melissa Leo should immediately be cast as Lynne Cheney. Melissa is a hot item, so she should be grabbed immediately!
i guess this miniseries is better than teddy, john and the old man? come on hbo, rename yourselves to bill mahr tv
Gee, maybe the media just turned him into Darth Vader – much like they got you to believe that he was “hellbent on revenge and power.” And that Obama is dizzyingly smart. Maybe you need to examine your preconceptions and filters.
They should have just titled it ‘A Dicks Life’