Jason Bateman, star of such varied work as The Gift and Horrible Bosses 2, has agreed a deal to star in Felt, Peter Landesman’s historical drama that charts the political upheaval that ensued during the Watergate Scandal of the 1970s. He’s the third star to join the in-development picture in as many days, with Friday bringing word of Liam Neeson and Diane Lane boarding the biopic as a husband-wife duo.
Specifically, Neeson and Lane are primed to play the man better known as Deep Throat, Mark Felt and his troubled significant other Audrey, respectively. Disclosing sensitive information to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in the fallout of the Cold War, Neeson’s titular protagonist remained an unknown quantity, and it wasn’t until 2005 that the whistleblower finally emerged.
Of course, by that stage, the damage had already been done. Richard Nixon had resigned from the Oval Office after his administration was found guilty of an unlawful break-in to the Democratic National Committee, leading to multiple charges of impeachment and clandestine operations all across the States. As one of the biggest operations of its type, there’s a staggering amount of dramatic material for Felt, and with Bateman’s place now secured, Landesman’s depiction of the political turmoil is finally beginning to come together.
He’s joined the cast to play FBI Agent and Felt lieutenant, Charlie Bates, who finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place when he pinpoints Deep Throat as the source of the leaked information.
This film has all the makings of a taut and intense spy thriller, the kind of which Neeson hasn’t starred in for quite some time what with the actor’s action-heavy streak in recent years. As such, we’re hoping that Felt will be a return to his dramatic roots, and with both Lane and Bateman alongside him, Landesman’s thriller has all the potential to fire everyone involved to Oscar glory. On paper, at least.
