If a ’70s road trip adventure with Karl Rove and Lee Atwater is what you like to see at the multiplex, get ready. The long-delayed Young Americans, previously titled College Republicans and Young Republicans, has now come together with Kill Your Darlings stars Daniel Radcliffe and Dane DeHaan reuniting with both one another and director John Krokidas to play Atwater and Rove, respectively.
With StarStream Media committed to produce and finance, and XYZ Films selling the movie at Cannes, Young Americans tells the true story of two ambitious college buddies who go on a road trip cross-country and “tarnish the American dream one state at a time.” They travel from “the South all the way to the White House in a crash course of dirty tricks and politics.” DeHaan’s Rove is portrayed as “the straight-laced and ambitious student who was running for the head of the College Republicans” and is under the guidance of Radcliffe’s “free-wheeling” Atwater.
In addition to DeHaan and Radcliffe, Amanda Seyfried also signed onto the film to play Kate King, “a young political female fatale” the future politicians met along the way and “secretly threatens to beat the boys at their own game.”
Without getting into too deep into politics, it looks as though this film could either fall too soft to appease the politically-minded audiences or be too objective to the tastes of those who want to hear the coming-of-age tales of lil Rove and lil Atwater, especially since one-half of the duo remains alive and well. Regardless, Krokidas seemed less surefooted in his first biopic with the two, but does know at least how to get strong performances from his actors. Let’s hope the director can make something a little stronger this time around as production starts this fall.
Radcliffe keeps himself busy post-Harry Potter, as he recently filmed a role in Now You See Me: The Second Act and soon plays Rockstar Games co-founder Sam Houser in Grand Theft Auto before he plays Atwater in this movie. He’s next seen on the screen in Victor Frankenstein as Igor later this year.
DeHaan, meanwhile, soon is seen in Life and Tulip Fever later this year, and soon stars in Two Lovers and a Bear alongside “Orphan Black“‘s Tatina Maslany and Gore Verbinski‘s A Cure To Wellness. [Deadline]
