The actor Russell Crowe will play the disgraced former Fox News executive Roger Ailes in a biopic about the architect of the conservative television channel. The eight-episode Showtime series is based on Gabriel Sherman’s 2014 book, The Loudest Voice in the Room, which chronicles the rise and fall of the media mogul who shook up the US political news landscape. It marks the first major US television role for the Oscar-winner, who is best known for the films Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind. Ailes, who founded Fox News in 1996 and spent two decades at its helm, died in May 2017 of a subdural haematoma after a fall in his Florida bathroom. He was 77. A year earlier he was ousted from Fox News after allegations of sexual harassment by more than 20 women. The former Fox host Gretchen Carlson alleged Ailes had fired her after she refused to have sex with him and also subjected her to “severe and pervasive sexual harassment” during her 11 years at the network. Ailes denied all allegations. Ailes’ departure preceded that of the Fox News presenter Bill O’Reilly in April 2017, who also faced claims of sexual harassment, which he denies. Ailes, who reportedly received a $40m payout from Fox News, briefly served as an adviser to Trump before the 2016 presidential debates. The former TV executive had been an adviser to Republican presidents Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon. In announcing the series, David Nevins, the president of the US cable channel Showtime, said: “In many ways, the collision between the media and politics has come to define the world we live in today. “We’ve seen this phenomenon depicted on screen as far back as the story of Charles Foster Kane, and it finds contemporary embodiment in the rise and fall of Roger Ailes. With Russell Crowe in the lead role, this limited series promises to be a defining story for this era.” No air date has been announced for the series, which will focus on Ailes’ journey from local TV producer to one of the most influential forces in news. Vanity Fair reported that the pilot episode had been co-written by Sherman and a Spotlight writer, Tom McCarthy. Associated Press contributed to this report<doc-sep>Russell Crowe is starring as the late Fox News chief Roger Ailes in a Showtime limited series about the rise of Fox News, Entertainment Weekly reports. The eight-episode series, titled "The Loudest Voice in the Room," will be based on Gabriel Sherman's best-selling non-fiction book of the same name, for which he interviewed over 600 people. Russell Crowe is coming to TV to star as the late Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes in a Showtime limited series about the rise of Fox News, Entertainment Weekly reports. The eight-episode drama series, titled "The Loudest Voice in the Room," will be based on Gabriel Sherman's best-selling non-fiction book of the same name. Tom McCarthy ("Spotlight") and Jason Blum ("Get Out") are serving as executive producers for the series. Ailes died in May 2017, nearly a year after he was forced out of his post at Fox News after being accused of sexual misconduct by several employees from the network. EW notes that Crowe's role as Ailes will be the actor's first regular role in a television series. "To understand the events that led to the rise of Donald Trump, one must understand Ailes. The upcoming limited series takes on that challenge, focusing primarily on the past decade in which Ailes arguably became the Republican Party’s de facto leader, while flashing back to defining events in Ailes' life," Showtime described the series in a statement. "Told through multiple points of view, the limited series aims to shed light on the psychology that drives the political process from the top down," the description continued. "McCarthy’s deft handling of similarly complex, high-stakes storytelling in Spotlight earned him an Oscar for co-writing 2017’s Academy Award winner for best picture, plus an Oscar nomination for directing. For the primary source material, 'The Loudest Voice in the Room,' Sherman interviewed more than 600 people." No premiere date has been set for the series yet, though Entertainment Weekly reported that it's likely to debut in 2019.<doc-sep>Tom McCarthy and Gabriel Sherman co-wrote the pilot, which dives deep into how Roger Ailes changed the nation's political and social discourse. Russell Crowe once played Javert, the antagonist in the film adaptation of “Les Misérables.” But Javert only tore one guy’s life apart. Now he’s taking on the role of a man who tore an entire nation apart. Crowe has signed on to play Fox News Channel founder Roger Ailes in Showtime’s upcoming eight-episode limited series based on Gabriel Sherman’s best-selling book “The Loudest Voice in the Room.” The series will also draw on Sherman’s additional reporting about Ailes and Fox News in New York magazine. Sherman co-wrote the premiere episode with Tom McCarthy (“Spotlight”), who is the executive produce with Blumhouse’s Jason Blum. Showtime and Blumhouse Television (“Sharp Objects”) are producing. The series doesn’t yet have a title; it had previously been developed with the title “Secure and Hold: The Last Days of Roger Ailes.” “In many ways, the collision between the media and politics has come to define the world we live in today,” Showtime president/CEO David Nevins said. “We’ve seen this phenomenon depicted on screen as far back as the story of Charles Foster Kane, and it finds contemporary embodiment in the rise and fall of Roger Ailes. With Russell Crowe in the lead role, this limited series promises to be a defining story for this era.” Ailes died in 2017, a year after he resigned from Fox News in disgrace. But the impact of the political advisor turned media mogul is being felt more than ever, as his Fox News Channel has been widely derided as “state-run media” during the Trump administration — serving as more of a propaganda cheerleading machine than as a check on the president’s thirst for power. Showtime notes that Ailes and Fox News “irrevocably changed the conversation about the highest levels of government,” which is an understatement. Added the network: “To understand the events that led to the rise of Donald Trump, one must understand Ailes. The upcoming limited series takes on that challenge, focusing primarily on the past decade in which Ailes arguably became the Republican Party’s de facto leader, while flashing back to defining events in Ailes’ life, including an initial meeting with Richard Nixon on the set of ‘The Mike Douglas Show’ that gave birth to Ailes’ political career and the sexual harassment accusations and settlements that brought his Fox News reign to an end.” Sherman interviewed more than 600 people for “The Loudest Voice in the Room,” and the limited series will be told through multiple points of view, aiming “to shed light on the psychology that drives the political process from the top down,” the network said. The series will also take a similar approach to how McCarthy told the story of the Boston Globe’s coverage of the Catholic Church’s sex scandal in “Spotlight,” which earned him an Oscar for co-writing in 2017. McCarthy, Blum and Alex Metcalf will executive produce, along with Blumhouse TV’s Marci Wiseman and Jeremy Gold. Crowe won the Oscar as best actor for “Gladiator,” and won a Golden Globe and SAG Award for “A Beautiful Mind.” His other credits include “The Insider,” “L.A. Confidential,” “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” “Cinderella Man,” “American Gangster,” “State of Play,” “Robin Hood” and “Les Miserables.” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.<doc-sep>Showtime has ordered an eight-episode limited series starring Russell Crowe as the late Fox News chief Roger Ailes. Based on writer Gabriel Sherman’s book “The Loudest Voice in the Room,” the limited series will tell the story of Ailes and his fall from atop Fox News amid sexual harassment allegations. Sherman co-wrote the first episode of the limited series with Tom McCarthy (“Spotlight,” “Win Win”). “In many ways, the collision between the media and politics has come to define the world we live in today,” said Showtime Networks president and CEO David Nevins. “We’ve seen this phenomenon depicted on screen as far back as the story of Charles Foster Kane, and it finds contemporary embodiment in the rise and fall of Roger Ailes. With Russell Crowe in the lead role, this limited series promises to be a defining story for this era.” The project would mark the first major U.S. television effort for Crowe, an Academy Award winner whose career launched roughly three decades ago on the Australian soap opera “Neighbours.” Showtime has been in development with Sherman and Blumhouse Television on an Ailes project for more than a year. The limited series is a co-production of Showtime and Blumhouse television. McCarthy, Blum and Alex Metcalf will serve as executive producers alongside Marci Wiseman and Jeremy Gold for Blumhouse Television<doc-sep>
Oscar winner Russell Crowe will play media titan Roger Ailes in Showtime's miniseries adaptation of Gabriel Sherman's book, "The Loudest Voice in the Room." In his first U.S. TV role after a long career in film, Crowe will play the late Fox News Channel founder in the still-untitled eight-episode limited series, Showtime announced Monday. No airdate has been announced. Sherman and executive producer Tom McCarthy, director of Oscar-winning "Spotlight," will write the first episode. Former political operative Ailes became a top media and political power as founder and head of Fox News before being forced to resign in 2016 after sexual harassment allegations, including a lawsuit filed by former "Fox & Friends" host Gretchen Carlson. Ailes died in 2017 at the age of 77. According to Showtime's description, the Ailes series will focus "primarily on the past decade, in which Ailes arguably became the Republican Party’s de facto leader, while flashing back to defining events in Ailes’ life, including an initial meeting with Richard Nixon on the set of 'The Mike Douglas Show' that gave birth to Ailes’ political career and the sexual harassment accusations and settlements that brought his Fox News reign to an end." Crowe, 54, who won the best-actor Oscar for 2000's "Gladiator," will be playing an older character for much of the series, since Ailes was in his late 60s and 70s for the period that will be the main focus of the adaptation. “In many ways, the collision between the media and politics has come to define the world we live in today,” Showtime Networks president David Nevins said in a statement. “We’ve seen this phenomenon depicted on screen as far back as the story of Charles Foster Kane, and it finds contemporary embodiment in the rise and fall of Roger Ailes. With Russell Crowe in the lead role, this limited series promises to be a defining story for this era.” If you love television and love talking about it even more, USA TODAY Life’s Yes, I'm Still Watching is here for you. Join our Facebook group to discuss all things TV with our critic Kelly Lawler. https://www.facebook.com/groups/yesimstillwatching/