James Cromwell elected to be President Bush’s dad

Director Oliver Stone has cast James Cromwell for the role of George Herbert Walker Bush and Ellen Burstyn for Barbara Bush in his upcoming drama "W" – which will tell the story of President George W. Bush’s early years. US actor James Cromwell arrives for the premier of the movie 'Spider-Man 3' in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, New York, 30 April 2007. EPA/JUSTIN LANE

US actor James Cromwell arrives for the premier of the movie 'Spider-Man 3' in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, New York, 30 April 2007. EPA/JUSTIN LANEVariety reports Josh Brolin is set to take on the role of George W. Bush with Elizabeth Banks playing first lady Laura Bush. Stone will direct the film with a screenplay by his “Wall Street” co-writer Stanley Weiser. The film is produced by Moritz Borman, Bill Block and Jon Kilik.“W” is financed by Block's QED International and scheduled to start shooting at the end of April in shooting Shreveport, La. It is expected to be ready to release to theaters by the November presidential election or at least before Bush leaves office in January.In a past Variety article, Stone (who has been vocal about his disapproval of Bush) described the film as an attempt to show how Bush came to power and that it was not an “anti-Bush” movie.In the article, Stone stated: "It's a behind-the-scenes approach, similar to 'Nixon,' to give a sense of what it's like to be in his skin. But if 'Nixon' was a symphony, this is more like a chamber piece, and not as dark in tone. People have turned my political ideas into a cliche, but that is superficial. I'm a dramatist who is interested in people, and I have empathy for Bush as a human being, much the same as I did for Castro, Nixon, Jim Morrison, Jim Garrison and Alexander the Great."