November 22, 1963 stands as a grim milestone in American history for marking the day that President John F Kennedy was assassinated in Texas. Through this momentous event, the date also serves as the marker for when television network news came of age, with TV newsman Walter Cronkite leading the charge as the voice of the American people. While the details of Kennedy's death have kept conspiracy theorists' minds boggled for decades, that hasn't stopped Hollywood from presenting multiple interpretations of how the tragic event had transpired.
Today, Deadline Hollywood has announced that THE DISASTER ARTIST actor Seth Rogen is set to play Walter Cronkite, the legendary CBS newsman, for NEWSFLASH, a film that depicts the events that followed in the wake of Kennedy's world-changing assassination. On board to helm the feature is STRONGER director David Gordon Green who will lead the project based off of a script penned by Ben Jacoby (THE FIRST OMEN). The Cronkite role will obviously be a dramatic departure for Rogen, who has spent much of his on-screen career playing well-intentioned stoners in comedic films.
For NEWSFLASH, Jacoby will script a tale that centers around Cronkite, his producer Don Hewitt, their boss Jim Aubrey, and a young Dan Rather, who supplanted himself as a commanding journalistic presence during the frantic scramble for quick and honest reporting of the events that day in Texas. Deadline's Mike Fleming Jr. also reports that Mark Ruffalo may be up for the role of Hewitt, while Bryan Cranston is being eyed to portray Aubrey.
Aubrey will be framed as the antagonist of NEWSFLASH, as while under pressure from William Paley to present a profit, Aubrey posited that CBS Evening News wasn't saucy enough to entertain as well as inform the public. He lobbied to remove Cronkite, and possibly pull the plug on the entire evening newscast in favor of programming with greater audience appeal. As a result of the looming threat, Cronkite, Hewitt, and their associates busted their asses to bring the program up to snuff. How did they do it, you ask? By examining all the unverified information and swirling rumors and presenting them in a truthful manner to heartbroken Americans glued to their TV sets.
Wow, okay then. What do you think about Rogen stepping up to the role of Walter Cronkite? Are you interested to see Green's vision of that historic day? Let us know in the comments section below.
The comment section exists to allow readers to discuss the article constructively and respectfully, focused on the topic at hand.
What’s Not Allowed