HBO Premieres Recount on May 25

TWO-TIME OSCAR(r) WINNER KEVIN SPACEY LEADS ENSEMBLE CAST OF HBO FILMS’ RECOUNT, REVISITING THE CONTROVERSIAL 2000 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, DIRECTED BY JAY ROACH, DEBUTING MAY 25
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BOB BALABAN, ED BEGLEY, JR., LAURA DERN, JOHN HURT, DENIS LEARY, BRUCE MCGILL AND TOM WILKINSON STAR
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A SPRING CREEK/ MIRAGE PRODUCTION IN ASSOCIATION WITH TRIGGER STREET PRODUCTIONS AND EVERYMAN PICTURES; EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY PAULA WEINSTEIN, LEN AMATO, SYDNEY POLLACK AND JAY ROACH; SCRIPT BY DANNY STRONG

Two-time Oscar(r) winner Kevin Spacey (“American Beauty,” “The Usual Suspects”) leads the ensemble cast of HBO Films’ RECOUNT, a Spring Creek/Mirage production in association with Trigger Street Productions and Everyman Pictures. Debuting SUNDAY, MAY 25 (9:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO, RECOUNT is directed by Jay Roach (“Meet the Parents”). Emmy(r) winner Paula Weinstein (HBO’s “Truman”), HBO Films senior vice president Len Amato (“Blood Diamond”), Oscar(r) winner Sydney Pollack (“Out of Africa”) and Jay Roach executive produce from a script by Danny Strong. Michael Hausman (“Brokeback Mountain”) produces.

Shot on location in Jacksonville and Tallahassee, RECOUNT revisits one of the most dramatic moments in U.S. history, portraying the turmoil of the 2000 presidential election in Florida. The film also stars Bob Balaban (“For Your Consideration”), Ed Begley, Jr. (“Living with Ed”), Laura Dern (“Year of the Dog”), John Hurt (“The Elephant Man”), Denis Leary (“Rescue Me”), Bruce McGill (“Cinderella Man”) and Tom Wilkinson (“Michael Clayton”).

Other HBO playdates: May 25 (1:00 a.m.), 26 (1:00 p.m., 9:00 p.m.), 29 (9:00 a.m., 7:00 p.m.) and 31 (9:30 a.m., 8:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: May 26 (6:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m.), 27 (10:15 a.m., 9:00 p.m.) and 30 (5:15 p.m.)

RECOUNT follows the Florida recount from Election Day in November 2000 through the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of George W. Bush over Al Gore five weeks later. The film pulls back the veil on the headlines and explores the human drama of characters involved in events that would determine the leadership of the country.

Writer Danny Strong’s extensive research included the review of numerous written accounts, as well as first-person interviews with more than 30 real-life participants from across the political spectrum.

Kevin Spacey portrays Ron Klain, Vice President Al Gore’s former Chief of Staff. Tom Wilkinson portrays James Baker III, who was previously Secretary of State to President George H. W. Bush. Denis Leary plays Michael Whouley, national field director during the Gore campaign. Laura Dern portrays Katherine Harris, Secretary of State of Florida. Bob Balaban portrays Ben Ginsberg, national counsel to the Bush-Cheney campaign in the 2000 election. John Hurt plays Warren Christopher, former Secretary of State to President Bill Clinton. Bruce McGill plays Republican lobbyist Mac Stipanovich. Ed Begley, Jr. portrays attorney David Boies, who represented the Gore campaign before the Supreme Court.

BIOS
Kevin Spacey (Ron Klain) received Academy Awards(r) for Best Supporting Actor for “The Usual Suspects” and Best Actor for “American Beauty,” which also brought him a Screen Actors Guild Award and BAFTA Award. His performance in “Beyond the Sea,” which he also directed, earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor. Spacey won a 1991 Tony Award for Best Supporting Actor for Neil Simon’s “Lost in Yonkers.” He also starred onstage in “The Iceman Cometh” and “A Moon for the Misbegotten.” Spacey’s other film projects include “Swimming with Sharks,” “L.A. Confidential,” “Se7en,” “The Negotiator,” “Looking for Richard,” “K-Pax,” “The Shipping News,” “The Life of David Gale” and “Superman Returns.” His recent projects include “21,” “Fred Claus” and the British film “Telstar.” Spacey is currently starring in a production of David Mamet’s “Speed-the-Plow” at London’s Old Vic Theatre Company, where he is artistic director. He formed Trigger Street Productions, which produced “The Iceman Cometh” for London’s Almeida and Old Vic, and later on Broadway; Trigger Street’s productions also include the films “21,” “The Big Kahuna” and “Hurlyburly.” In November 2002 Spacey and business partner Dana Brunetti launched TriggerStreet.com, a web-based filmmaker and screenwriter community.

Bob Balaban (Ben Ginsberg) recently directed and produced HBO Films’ critically-acclaimed “Bernard and Doris,” starring Susan Sarandon and Ralph Fiennes, for Kevin Spacey’s company Trigger Street Independent. The film debuted on HBO in February. As an actor, he has appeared in nearly 50 films, including “Midnight Cowboy,” “Catch-22,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Capote,” “Lady in the Water” and four Christopher Guest comedies, including “For Your Consideration.” He was most recently seen in “No Reservations” and “Dedication.” Balaban also produced and co-starred in Robert Altman’s “Gosford Park,” which earned Academy Award(r), Golden Globe, British Academy and SAG honors. He produced and directed the hit off-Broadway play “The Exonerated,” which won a Drama Desk Award; his Broadway appearances include “Speed-the-Plow” and “The Inspector General,” for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play.

Ed Begley, Jr. (David Boies) has been nominated six times for an Emmy(r) for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. In addition to starring in the reality series “Living with Ed,” his TV credits include “CSI: Miami,” “Campus Ladies,” “Veronica Mars,” “Boston Legal,” “Kingdom Hospital,” “Arrested Development,” “Jack and Bobby,” “Joey,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “7th Heaven,” “St. Elsewhere,” “The Practice,” “The Drew Carey Show,” “Touched by an Angel,” “Providence” and HBO’s “Six Feet Under.” Begley’s film credits include “Pineapple Express,” “Finding Amanda,” “For Your Consideration,” “A Mighty Wind,” “Best in Show,” “Batman Forever,” “Greedy,” “The Accidental Tourist,” “The In-Laws” and “She-Devil.”

Laura Dern (Katherine Harris) most recently starred in the critically acclaimed film “Inland Empire,” her third film with director David Lynch, which garnered her a nod from the New York Film Critics Association for Best Actress. Together, Dern and Lynch received the Special Distinction Award at the 2007 Independent Spirit Awards for their collaborative work on the movie, as well as on “Blue Velvet” and “Wild at Heart.” Following in the footsteps of her parents, actors Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern, she began her acting career at age six in “White Lightning.” Since then, Dern has starred in such films as “Mask,” “Smooth Talk,” “Citizen Ruth,” “Jurassic Park,” “Jurassic Park III,” “October Sky,” “I Am Sam,” “Dr. T and the Women,” “Novocaine,” “We Don’t Live Here Anymore” and “Happy Endings.” She earned Oscar(r) and Golden Globe nominations for 1991’s “Rambling Rose.” On TV, Dern garnered a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy(r) nomination for HBO’s “Afterburn,” and received another Golden Globe nomination for “The Baby Dance.” Dern’s memorable TV performances also include “Damaged Care” and “Within These Walls.” Among her recent film credits are Mike White’s “Year of the Dog,” “Lonely Hearts” and “The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio.” Dern has a supporting role opposite Russell Crowe in the upcoming feature film “Tenderness.”

John Hurt (Warren Christopher) received the Critics’ Award for Most Promising Actor for the stage production “The Dwarfs” in 1963. He has also appeared onstage in “The Caretaker,” “Shadow of a Gunman,” “Travesties,” “A Month in the Country” and “Krapp’s Last Tape.” In 2002, Hurt was awarded the Variety Club Award for Outstanding Performance in a Stage Play for “Afterplay.” His TV work includes “I, Claudius,” “Crime and Punishment” and “The Naked Civil Servant,” for which he received a Best Actor Emmy(r) and a BAFTA Best Television Actor Award. He received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar(r) nomination for “Midnight Express” and a Best Actor Oscar(r) nomination for “The Elephant Man,” and also starred in “V for Vendetta,” among dozens of other films. Hurt recently completed filming “The Oxford Murders” in England, as well as the fourth “Indiana Jones” movie.

Denis Leary (Michael Whouley) has been nominated for a Golden Globe (for Best Actor in a Drama) as well as three Emmys(r) (twice for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and once for Outstanding Writing) for the series “Rescue Me,” which he co-produces with longtime creative partner Peter Tolan. Leary and Tolan previously co-created the comedy series “The Job,” in which Leary starred. On the big screen, Leary has appeared in “Wag the Dog,” “A Bug’s Life,” “Ice Age,” “The Thomas Crown Affair,” “Suicide Kings,” “Ice Age 2 – The Meltdown,” “Jesus’ Son,” “Monument Ave,” “The Secret Lives of Dentists,” “The Neon Bible” and “The Ref.” Several years ago, Leary and producing partner Jim Serpico established their New York-based production company Apostle, which has produced numerous film and TV projects, including “Blow” and “Canterbury’s Law.”

Bruce McGill (Mac Stipanovich) previously starred in the HBO Films productions “Live from Baghdad,” “Path to War” and “61*.” He has appeared in more than 60 motion pictures, among them “Cinderella Man,” “Collateral,” “Elizabethtown,” “The Insider,” “Runaway Jury,” “Matchstick Men,” “Legally Blonde 2,” “The Sum of All Fears,” “Ali,” “The Legend of Bagger Vance,” “The Insider,” “Rosewood,” “Timecop,” “My Cousin Vinny,” “The Last Boy Scout,” “No Mercy,” “Silkwood” and “National Lampoon’s Animal House.” McGill’s TV credits includes guest appearances on “CSI,” “The Practice,” “Gideon’s Crossing,” “Home Improvement,” “Star Trek: Voyager,” “The Commish,” “Quantum Leap,” “MacGyver” and “Miami Vice,” as well as the TV films “The Ballad of Lucy Whipple” and “Inside the Osmonds.”

Tom Wilkinson (James Baker III) has won rave reviews for his portrayal of Benjamin Franklin in the current HBO Films miniseries “John Adams.” He recently earned Oscar(r), Golden Globe, SAG and BAFTA nominations for “Michael Clayton,” and earned an Academy Award(r) nomination for Best Actor for “In the Bedroom.” Wilkinson received a BAFTA award for Best Supporting Actor for the Oscar(r)-nominated comedy “The Full Monty,” as well as Emmy(r) and Golden Globe nominations for HBO Films’ “Normal.” His extensive list of film credits also includes “Shakespeare in Love,” “Batman Begins,” “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “Stage Beauty,” “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” “Oscar and Lucinda,” “Wilde,” “The Governess,” “The Patriot,” “A Good Woman,” “The Exorcism of Emily Rose,” “Dedication” and “Cassandra’s Dream.” His upcoming projects include “RocknRolla,” “Valkyrie” and “Duplicity.”

Jay Roach’s (director, executive producer) directing credits include all three “Austin Powers” movies, as well as “Meet the Parents” and “Meet the Fockers.” His producing credits include “Charlie Bartlett,” “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” “Meet the Fockers” and “Meet the Parents.” He is currently set to direct “Felt’s War,” which is based on the story of Mark Felt and the Watergate scandal, for Universal Pictures.

Danny Strong (writer) began his career as an actor with guest appearances on such TV shows as “Third Rock from the Sun,” “Seinfeld” and “Nip/Tuck,” and roles in the feature films “Pleasantville” and “Seabiscuit.” A graduate of the USC School of Theater, Strong played Jonathan Levinson on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” for five years and Doyle on “Gilmore Girls” for four seasons. RECOUNT is the first produced script for Strong, who was named one of “10 Screenwriters to Watch” by Variety in 2007.

Paula Weinstein (executive producer) has produced such films as “Blood Diamond,” “Rumor Has It” and “Monster-In-Law,” as well as the HBO Films’ “Iron Jawed Angels” and “Truman,” for which she received an Emmy(r). Her other production credits include “Looney Tunes: Back in Action,” “The Fabulous Baker Boys,” “Analyze This,” “Analyze That,” “Bandits,” “The Perfect Storm,” “Something to Talk About,” “Liberty Heights,” “Possession,” “Nine to Five,” “Brubaker,” “Body Heat” and HBO’s “Citizen Cohn.” She created Spring Creek Productions with Mark Rosenberg in 1990.

Len Amato (executive producer) is the senior vice president of HBO Films. Prior to joining HBO, he was president of Spring Creek Productions, co-founded by Paula Weinstein and Mark Rosenberg. His credits as producer and executive producer include “Analyze This,” “Analyze That,” “Possession,” “Deliver Us from Eva,” “Rumor Has It,” “The Astronaut Farmer” and the Golden Globe- and Oscar(r)-nominated “Blood Diamond.” Amato made his producing debut in 1997 with HBO’s “First Time Felon,” continuing his relationship with the network as executive producer of HBO Films’ “Iron Jawed Angels.”

Sydney Pollack (executive producer) has directed 20 films, which have received a total of 46 Academy Award(r) nominations, and he has received three Best Director nominations, winning for “Out of Africa.” He is also a two-time Golden Globe winner for Best Director, as well as a recipient of the National Society of Film Critics Award and NATO Director of the Year Award. In 1982 Pollack won the New York Film Critics Award for his film “Tootsie,” and was recently honored with the Directors Guild of America John Huston Award by the Artists Rights’ Foundation. As an actor, Pollack has appeared in HBO’s “The Sopranos,” as well as the films “Husbands and Wives,” “The Player,” “Death Becomes Her,” “A Civil Action,” “Eyes Wide Shut,” “Changing Lanes” and, most recently, “Michael Clayton.” In 1985, Pollack formed Mirage Productions, and under that banner has produced numerous films; in 2000, the late Anthony Minghella became a full partner in Mirage Enterprises.

Michael Hausman (producer) has worked with director Milos Forman on eight films, including “Taking Off” (as production manager/associate producer); “Hair” (first assistant director); “Ragtime,” “Amadeus” and “Man on the Moon” (executive producer); and “Valmont” and “The People vs. Larry Flynt” (producer). He has also executive produced three films for director Robert Benton, including “Twilight,” “Nobody’s Fool” and “Places in the Heart,” and was executive producer (with Lindsey Doran) on Sydney Pollack’s “The Firm,” “A Family Thing” and “No Mercy.” In addition, Hausman’s producing credits include “Homicide,” “Things Change” and “House of Games” for writer-director David Mamet, as well as Mike Nichols’ “Silkwood” and Elaine May’s “Mikey and Nicky.” Hausman’s recent film credits include “Gangs of New York,” “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “Brokeback Mountain” and “All the King’s Men.”

Technorati Tags: Original Picture, HBO, Movie, May 25, Bob Balaban, Ed Begley Jr, Laura Dern, John Hurt, Denis Leary, Bruce McGill, Tom Wilkinson, Kevin Spacey

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Written by Ryan the Admin - Visit Website
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Ryan is from California. He graduated from USC with a degree in English. In his free time, when he isn't working as a Literary Illusions gopher (er...editor) he enjoys writing short stories.