Will Ferrell drops Ronald Reagan comedy
Will Ferrell will no longer partake in a comedy film about Ronald Reagan that pokes fun at the late president's dementia.
The comedian was set to produce and star in "Reagan," but on Friday, a spokesperson for Ferrell announced, "The REAGAN script is one of a number of scripts that had been submitted to Will Ferrell which he had considered. While it is by no means an 'Alzheimers comedy,' as has been suggested, Mr. Ferrell is not pursuing this project."
The news comes after Reagan's daughter Patti wrote an open letter to Ferrell, saying, "You intend to portray my father in the throes of Alzheimer's for a comedy... I watched as fear invaded my father's eyes -- this man who was never afraid of anything... Perhaps for your comedy you would like to visit some dementia facilities. I have -- I didn't find anything comedic there, and my hope would be that if you're a decent human being, you wouldn't either."
Reagan's son Michael also tweeted, "#Alzheimers is not a comedy to the 5 million people who are suffering with the decease,it first robs you of your mind and then it kills you."
The script follows an ambitious intern who is tasked with convincing Ronald Reagan that he is an actor playing the president in a movie, after he falls into dementia at the start of his second term.
"Reagan" had not received a "green light" as of press time, nor did it have a director.
