Tim Roth to Play Henry Kissinger as 1960s Sex Symbol in Political Satire Kissinger Takes Pa

 Posted on July 14, 2024  |  5 minutes  |  893 words  |  Aldo Pusey

Henry Kissinger may have only died in November, but the controversial politician is already set to get the satirical comedy treatment.

Tim Roth, Robin Wright, Mary-Louise Parker, Lucy Hale, David Cross, Jimmy O. Yang, Rob Corddry and Dylan Penn are in talks to star in the feature film “Kissinger Takes Paris,” set during Kissinger’s younger, pre-Vietnam War years.

Roth (“The Hateful Eight,” “Sundown”) will star as Kissinger, while Jeff Stanzler will direct from his screenplay, and Claude Dal Farra and Brian Keady of BCDF Pictures (“To Leslie”) are producing along with Stanzler. CAA Media Finance and Concourse Media are co-representing domestic rights, and Concourse is handling international rights, with sales launching at Cannes.

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The film — likened to political satires such as “Don’t Look Up” and “Wag the Dog” — is set to tell the (mostly) true story of when Kissinger, described as “a middle-aged, politically washed-up Harvard professor,” traveled to Paris in 1968 at the height of its student protests and the dawn of the sexual revolution. Feeling energized, he crashes the Paris Peace Talks and changes the course of modern history. A few weeks later, Henry returns to America as the second-most powerful man in the world — and even more astonishing, as the least likely international sex symbol of the modern era.

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“As a young boy I marveled at Dr. Kissinger on TV, who looked much more like me than Robert Redford, while he was dating a different world-famous actress or model each month — he had no rival,” Stanzler said. “I am beyond thrilled to be working alongside Tim, Robin and so many other incredible actors to bring this madcap Paris of ’68 weekend to life.”

Added Dal Farra: “Jeff has written a savagely funny, yet historically significant script from a story that has somehow remained untold for 50-plus years. BCDF could not be more excited to work with what may be the most outrageously talented cast of the year.”

Matthew Shreder and Grant Mohrman are executive producers and will handle financing and distribution for the film for Concourse Media. Recent notable titles include the “The Ploughman,” directed by Ed Harris and starring Nick Nolte, Bill Murray and Owen Teague. Others include “Chief of Station” starring Aaron Eckhart and Olga Kurylenko, and “Sovereign,” starring Nick Offerman and Dennis Quaid.

Roth and Wright are represented by CAA. Parker is represented by CAA and Untitled. Hale is represented by CAA and Reel Talent Management. Cross is represented by UTA and Vector Management. Yang is represented by CAA and Artists First. Corddry is represented by WME. Penn is represented by CAA and Anonymous Content. 

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