We’ve known for a while that Bryan Cranston’s next TV project would involve him playing a dead president. In the past, Cranston appeared as Lyndon Baines Johnson in the stage production of All The Way, a Broadway play that is being turned into an HBO biopic. Now, he’ll reprise the role for the HBO version and we got the first good look at the actor looking quite like the President. So, without further ado, we give you Bryan Cranston as Lyndon Baines Johnson. Go ahead, bask in the gloriousness of that imagery for a second:
People spent some time on the set of the biopic and was able to get an up close and personal look at the costume for All The Way, and it’s a doozy. I can’t remember the last time hair, makeup and a suit made Cranston this unrecognizable—not to mention how close it makes him look to our 36th President. I mean, seriously, give the creative team some major props, here.
Directed by Jay Roach and produced by Steven Spielberg through his Amblin Entertainment company, All the Way will follow Lyndon Baines Johnson from the moment President John F. Kennedy was assassinated through the first year of his presidency. Anyone familiar with history should know that the 1960s were a turbulent time. LBJ was the President who passed the Civil Rights Act before going up for reelection later in 1964 and winning it in a landslide. It was a crazy time for politics and should make for an interesting program over at HBO.
Spielberg stated he wanted Cranston for the role a year ago. This summer, the project began casting in earnest, signing on Bradley Whitford, Melissa Leo as Lady Bird Johnson, Anthony Mackie as Martin Luther King Jr. and Frank Langella as Senator Richard Russell. A slew of less famous names have also signed on to play various characters, including Aisha Hinds, Spencer Garrett, Todd Weeks and Moe McRae.
HBO has been ahead of the game in terms of original content and has even had success with producing programs about former presidents before. John Adams starring Paul Giammatti was also a success for the network, and with Cranston in the lead role, All The Way should be a good addition.
All The Way is set to premiere in 2016. For now, here’s what else is coming up this fall.
