The hardest working octogenarian in Hollywood… check that. The hardest working man in Hollywood is back at it with what appears to be yet another stunning piece of work. Clint Eastwood, who has churned out a film a year since '02 - and two films in two of those years - is readying for the release of his next film, a biopic on the controversial founder of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, J. Edgar Hoover
The captivating trailer for J. Edgar, which debuted on Entertainment Tonight but is also available to watch below, looks to continue Eastwood's tradition of throwing his hat into the Oscar ring come the fall of the year. Though last year's Hereafter was a bit of a commercial and critical disappointment, he looks to be back on track with a fascinating examination of the private and public dealings of the FBI founder who was reported to have closeted his homosexuality throughout his lifetime. It certainly has all the signature Eastwood elements, but this time he's working from a script by writer Dustin Lance Black, who previously won an Oscar for his captivating Milk. We know it's difficult to glean a whole lot from a trailer, but this looks to be a winning combination of solid Eastwood direction and, if we're reading what we see correctly, a script that doesn't dodge the controversy.
We're having a little bit of trouble not seeing DiCaprio as Philip Seymour Hoffman in that one shot, but other than that, the Shutter Island actor seems to pull of the likeness fairly well. A quick look at some archival footage of Hoover on youtube reveals that DiCaprio pretty much nails it with the accent. In fact, Hoover himself seems to be over-acting his dialect. Anyway, the film also stars Naomi Watts as his lifelong secretary Helen Gandy, Judi Dench as his mother, and Armie Hammer as Hoover's number two man and rumored lover, Clyde Tolson.
J. Edgar will begin a limited theatrical run on November 9th and will then spread wider thereafter. Expect this one to remain on the lips of Academy members come voting time.
Watch the J. Edgar trailer below: