Charlie Wilson's War News
Adams on the 'War' path
07/27/06Amy Adams has enlisted in "Charlie Wilson's War," the Mike Nichols-directed adaptation of the George Crile book for Universal Pictures and Playtone. Adams, Oscar nominated for "Junebug," joins Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman in the drama about a rogue congressman and CIA operative who conspired to arm Afghan rebels against invading Soviet forces.
'Devil' nabs Hoffman
06/15/06Philip Seymour Hoffman's dance card is filling up. The Oscar-wining "Capote" star will join Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts in Universal's "Charlie Wilson's War" and will head the cast of the Capitol Films drama "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," directed by Sidney Lumet. Hoffman will first shoot "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," about brothers who try to rob their parents' jewelry store, only to botch the job. He will then star in "Charlie Wilson's War," directed by Mike Nichols. Aaron Sorkin adapted George Crile's book about a rogue congressman and CIA agent who found the means to secretly arm rebels to fight against invading Soviet troops in Afghanistan in the early 1980s. Hoffman will play the CIA agent. Shooting begins Oct. 10.
Julia's back in trenches
01/10/06In what would be her first onscreen role since 2004's "Ocean's Twelve," Julia Roberts is circling Universal's "Charlie Wilson's War." Roberts is in early talks to board the project with her "Closer" director Mike Nichols. She'd star with Tom Hanks, who is producing the film with Playtone partner Gary Goetzman. Hanks declared last year that he'd play Charlie Wilson, the rogue Texas congressman who oversaw the covert funding of the Afghan rebels in their battle against the Soviet Union. Roberts, who took time off after giving birth to twins, is in talks to play Joanne Herring, a big-haired and beautiful Texas socialite who influenced Wilson to support the rebel cause.
Hanks to star in 'Charlie Wilson's War'
07/20/05Tom Hanks will star for Universal Pictures in "Charlie Wilson's War," an Aaron Sorkin-scripted drama about a rogue Texas congressman. The movie, to be produced by Hanks and Gary Goetzman under their Universal-based Playtone banner, will be the next film Hanks makes after he completes "The Da Vinci Code" for director Ron Howard and Sony. Universal has set a tentative spring start date for "Charlie Wilson's War," and a director will soon be chosen from a short list. Hanks will play Wilson, a congressman whose penchant for booze and babes earned him the nickname Good Time Charlie. Wilson almost watched his political career go down the drain when he got caught in an hot tub tryst with a couple of coke-sniffing showgirls in Vegas. He survived the scandal and ended up overseeing the largest and most successful covert CIA operation in history. His efforts to fund resistance fighters in Afghanistan hastened the fall of the Iron Curtain. Wilson is now a D.C. lobbyist.
© 2005 Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.
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