Veteran actor Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Mozart in the Jungle) has become the latest addition to the cast of Fair and Balanced, director Jay Roach’s (Trumbo) upcoming film about disgraced Fox News chief Roger Ailes, with McDowell set to portray News Corp Chairman and media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
McDowell joins a star-studded cast that includes John Lithgow (The Crown) as Ailes, Nicole Kidman (Big Little Lies) as Gretchen Carlson, Charlize Theron (Atomic Blonde) as Megyn Kelly, Allison Janney (I, Tonya) as lawyer Susan Estrich and Margot Robbie (I, Tonya) and Kate McKinnon (The Spy Who Dumped Me) as fictional Fox News producers.
Fair and Balanced will explore Ailes’ downfall after being hit with allegations of sexual misconduct and harrassment from a number of female employees at the network, including Fox News anchors Carlson and Kelly.
Meanwhile, this week has also brought the news that Annapurna Pictures has dropped Fair and Balanced from its slate, with Focus Features quickly snapping up the project to handle both production and distribution. As yet, there’s no word on a potential release date.