The fabled talk show host has been mulling over an offer to take a key role in the upcoming based-on-true-story movie, which also eyes Hugh Jackman, Mila Kunis and John Cusack to star in it.
- Feb 16, 2012
AceShowbiz - Oprah Winfrey could make an acting comeback in an upcoming drama called "The Butler". According to The Hollywood Reporter, the talk show mogul is mulling over an offer to tackle a key role in the based-on-true-story film, which will be directed by "Precious: Based on the Novel PUSH by Sapphire" helmer Lee Daniels.
The movie tells the story of Eugene Allen, a black man who worked as a servant in the White House, serving eight presidents from 1952 to 1986. Winfrey is eyeing the role of Allen's wife. Should the deals be signed, she will mark her first acting in a live-action film since 1998's "Beloved".
In addition to Winfrey, several A-list actors have also been circling the project. They include Hugh Jackman, Mila Kunis and John Cusack. Multiple insiders said that Kunis is eyed to star as Jackie Kennedy while Cusack is expected to portray Richard Nixon. It is said that Daniels also wants "Red Tails" actor, David Oyelowo, to tackle the part of Allen.
"The Butler" is based on Wil Haygood's Washington Post "A Butler Well Served by This Election". It centers on the life of Allen, who started his career in the White House as a "pantry man" in 1952, when black people weren't allowed to use public restrooms in his native Virginia.
Allen ended up serving eight presidents and had a unique front row seat as political and racial history was made, from the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement to the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr., President John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy Jr. The original script was penned by Danny Strong before being rewritten by Daniels.
As for Winfrey, the 58-year-old philanthropist has also been attached to an untitled Michael Patrick King project, a dramedy set in the world of home network shopping, which also stars Meryl Streep and Sandra Bullock.
