Electric Entertainment has North American rights to LBJ, director Rob Reiner’s pic toplined by Woody Harrelson as the 36th President. A 2017 theatrical release is planned for the pic, which bowed at Toronto and co-stars Jennifer Jason Leigh, Richard Jenkins, Bill Pullman, Jeffrey Donovan and Michael Stahl-David.
It marks the latest release in Electric’s newly created domestic division, following the Tribeca pic The Book Of Love starring Jason Sudeikis, Jessica Biel and Maisie Williams which bowed in January.
The plot: After powerful Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson loses the 1960 Democratic presidential nomination to Senator John F. Kennedy (Jeffrey Donovan), he agrees to be his young rival’s running mate. But once they win the election, despite his extensive legislative experience and shrewd political instincts, Johnson finds himself sidelined in the role of Vice President. That all changes on Nov. 22, 1963, when Kennedy is assassinated and Johnson, with his devoted wife Lady Bird (Leigh) by his side, is suddenly thrust into the presidency. As the nation mourns, Johnson must contend with longtime adversary Attorney General Bobby Kennedy (Stahl-David) and one-time mentor Georgia Sen. Richard Russell (Richard Jenkins) as he seeks to honor JFK’s legacy by championing the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Reiner, Matthew George, Liz Glotzer, Trevor White and Tim White are producers. The deal was brokered by Electric’s head of domestic distribution Zac Reeder and by CAA on behalf of the filmmakers.
