Robert Redford has signed on to play Dan Rather in a film about the 2005 “60 Minutes II” story about Pres. George W. Bush‘s military record, which became known as “Memogate” and “Rathergate,” and would cost several CBS Newsers their jobs, and cost Rather millions of dollars.
“Truth” is based on the 2005 memoir Truth and Duty: The Press, The President, and The Privilege of Power by former CBS News producer Mary Mapes, who worked on the story and was later fired by CBS after an independent review found serious flaws with it. Cate Blanchett will play Mapes.
Rather left CBS News in 2006, and would later file a lawsuit against CBS Corp. In 2009, Rather told TVNewser he spent $2 million of his own money fighting the suit which was later dismissed. “60 Minutes II,” also known as “60 Minutes Wednesday” was canceled, another casualty of the debacle.
CBS News has no comment on the casting of the film.
Redford has played journalists in the past. In the 1996 film “Up Close and Personal” he starred as Warren Justice, a local news director in Miami who molds “Tally” Atwater, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, into a network news star. Earlier in his career, Redford played Bob Woodward in the film adaptation of All the President’s Men.
The film adaptation of Mapes’ book is years in the making. In 2008, TVNewser wrote about who might play Rather in the movie. At the time, Anthony Hopkins was a top choice.