Long-awaited ‘Reagan’ biopic has release date
Movie filmed primarily in Oklahoma coming to theaters this summer
Filmed primarily in Oklahoma, the long-awaited movie “Reagan” is coming to theaters this summer.
Starring two-time Golden Globe nominee Dennis Quaid and Oscar winner Jon Voight, the biopic of the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan will open Aug. 30 in cinemas nationwide, according to a news release.
“We’re thrilled to congratulate the filmmakers of ‘Reagan’ on their highly anticipated release,” said Oklahoma Film + Music Office director Jeanette Stanton in an email to The Oklahoman. “This production showcases an incredible amount of Oklahoma talent both on-screen and behind the scenes, and we can’t wait to see their work come to life, including the transformative production design that brought the Oval Office, among other replicated sites, directly to the film friendly community of Guthrie.”
When and where in Oklahoma was the movie ‘Reagan’ filmed?
The biographical drama about America’s 40th president began filming in the Oklahoma City and Guthrie areas in September 2020. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Oklahoma was one of the few states where filming on movies like “Reagan” could continue.
“We’re looking forward to sharing this movie with our friends in Oklahoma especially. It was an honor to shoot this movie there, and we had a great time in spite of COVID. I can’t wait to shoot there again,” said “Reagan” director Sean McNamara in a statement to The Oklahoman.
The production was headquartered in Guthrie, with filming centered at the historic Scottish Rite Masonic Temple, which stood in for the Oval Office at the White House, the fabled Cocoanut Grove supper club in Hollywood and
even some locales in Cold War Russia.
“Guthrie as a community is really excited to see ‘Reagan’ on the big screen. The entire production was here in town for so long, it did feel like they became part of the neighborhood,” Justin Fortney, director of tourism for the city of Guthrie, told The Oklahoman Monday.
“Whether it’s Guthrie folks being extras, or someone’s house being used in a scene, the Oklahoma Avenue streetscape, the Masonic temple ... it’s like Guthrie is a character in the movie.”
Although the production was forced to shut down twice due to COVID, the project, which used the state’s film rebate, created 1,966 local jobs and generated $16.6 million in direct spending in fall 2020, according to the Oklahoma Film + Music Office.
The production moved to California in early 2021 to film at Reagan’s ranch outside Santa Barbara before returning to Guthrie in summer 2021 to shoot additional footage, including outdoor water sequences from the president’s youth as well as John Hinckley Jr.’s 1981 assassination attempt on Reagan.
Who stars in ‘Reagan’ and how much of Ronald Reagan’s life does the movie cover?
During a 2021 set visit in Guthrie, McNamara (“Soul Surfer,” “The Miracle Season”) told The Oklahoman that the support he found in the Sooner State was vital to making a movie that spans nine different time periods.
Set against the backdrop of the Cold War, the biopic follows Ronald Reagan’s life from his childhood in Dixon, Illinois, to his acting career in Hollywood, to the U.S. presidency and the world stage. Reagan served two terms as president, from 1981 to 1989, and died on June 5, 2004, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Quaid, who has made at least three movies in Oklahoma with “Reagan,” 2018’s “I Can Only Imagine” and 2021’s “American Underdog,” portrays Reagan as an adult. Tommy Ragen (“Mighty Oak,” the musical “School of Rock”) and David Henrie (“Wizards of Waverly Place”) play Reagan as a boy and as a young man, respectively.
“It was one of the greatest challenges of my acting life. Sometimes in one day I’d have to play Reagan in 1947 and 1987, so I’d have to be very aware of that constantly,” Quaid told The Oklahoman in a 2021 email.
Voight (“Deliverance,” “Coming Home”) co-stars as Viktor Petrovich, a fictional KGB agent who trails Reagan throughout his political career. “Reagan” begins as 90-year-old Petrovich — a composite character based on real people — is visited by an up-and-coming Russian leader who wants to know how the Soviet Union was lost.
The spy who knows everything there is to know about Reagan recounts the tale of his adversary — the man he mockingly nicknamed “The Crusader” — beginning in 1922, when 11-year-old Ronald Reagan faces the first crisis of his eventful life.
The biopic also features Penelope Ann Miller as Reagan’s first lady, Nancy Reagan; Mena Suvari as Reagan’s first wife, Jane Wyman; Lesley-Anne Down as British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher; and Kevin Dillon as Warner Bros. co-founder Jack Warner.
Several Oklahoma performers played roles in the film, including Darci Lynne, Darryl Cox, Kyle Jacob Henry, Chris Freihofer, Randy Wayne, Rachel Cannon and Maggie McClure and Shane Henry.
“Reagan” is inspired by Paul Kengor’s book “The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism” and written by Howard Klausner (“Space Cowboys”) and Jonas McCord (“Ask the Dust”).
Why was ‘Reagan’ delayed and who is releasing the long-awaited movie in theaters?
Producer Mark Joseph told The Oklahoman in an autumn 2022 email that the film’s extensive post-production — especially de-aging special effects for Quaid and Voight — would mean a 2023 release for “Reagan.”
But after two shutdowns for COVID-19, the film faced additional delays during last year’s actors strike, Deadline reports.
The film’s long-awaited Aug. 30 release date was announced after producers reached a distribution agreement with recently launched U.S. distributor ShowBiz Direct.
“Reagan” will mark the first wide release from ShowBiz Direct, led by Kevin Mitchell, founder and former CEO of ShowBiz Cinemas; Richie Fay, former president of distribution for Lionsgate; and Scott Kennedy, former co-president of distribution for Open Road.
According to Deadline, the new theatrical and digital distribution company, which is based in Dallas and Los Angeles, plans to specialize in mid-size and tentpole releases that may not fit into the major studios’ post-pandemic plans.
“I’ve had my eyes on this movie for a while,” Mitchell said in a statement. “Dennis Quaid does such an amazing job portraying Ronald Reagan. Our goal in launching ShowBiz Direct is to help close the gap between the creative community and exhibition while embracing the theatrical release of motion pictures in a very transparent way. ‘Reagan’ was sought by many, and we are happy that we could reach an agreement with Mark Joseph and his team.”