The upcoming Reagan biopic, starring Dennis Quaid as the 40th U.S. president, is expected to release sometime in August or September.
Although there is no set release date yet, Reagan will finally arrive in theaters this year, director Sean McNamara (Soul Surfer, On a Wing and a Prayer) told National Review, after its filmmakers complete what has been a years-long process in bringing the project to the big screen. Principal photography on the film began in September 2020, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a host of other factors, production and post-production took longer than expected.
Now, the director and crew members are adding finishing touches to the movie they started filming almost four years ago.
A sizable chunk of the remaining work involves fine-tuning the visual effects, which have been primarily used for aging and de-aging Quaid, 69, as Ronald Reagan and Jon Voight, 85, as a fictional KGB agent named Viktor Novikov. Both actors will play their respective characters at various ages throughout the upcoming movie, according to Newsweek.
McNamara said the final cut will have over 1,000 VFX shots, including those featuring Brandenburg Gate, the historical monument in Berlin where Reagan declared the famous quote: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
Additionally, the crew needed extra time because they wanted a live orchestra to help create the original score with composer John Coda. A full orchestra required many individuals to raise considerable finances, which is hard to come by for an independent film in Hollywood. McNamara said the film is worth the wait, though.
He noted Reagan started getting shown to distributors and test audiences last year. The movie, to which the filmmaker has a personal attachment, has since been tweaked to deliver the best possible iteration of the story later this year.
“I love Ronald Reagan’s story,” said McNamara. “My first job in the business was doing Reagan’s inauguration when I was 18. I’m independent, but he was the first president I voted for in 1980. I loved his common sense and humor.”
The narrative drama, as its title suggests, follows President Reagan navigating life all the way from his childhood years to his time as the leader of the free world, told from the perspective of Novikov. The cast also includes Penelope Ann Miller, David Henrie, Nick Searcy, and C. Thomas Howell.
Written by Howard Klausner, the screenplay is based on Paul Kengor’s 2006 book, The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism.
An exclusive look at Reagan was shown at CPAC 2024 in late February. A full trailer is expected to be released online soon, McNamara teased.