This summer, audiences will be focused on Edward Norton‘s high-profile gig as the star of The Incredible Hulk — but behind the scenes, the actor will be working to bring a far more realistic story to the screen.
Variety reports that Norton’s Class 5 Films has begun looking for a partner to distribute its documentary about Barack Obama‘s presidential campaign, set for release in 2009. The film, directed by Amy Rice and Alicia Sams, started shooting before Obama declared his candidacy; in fact, according to Norton, inspiration struck for the filmmakers after hearing the senator deliver his address during the 2004 Democratic National Convention:
We were all so struck by Barack’s speech and talked about how exciting it was to see someone from our generation, not our parents’, make his presence felt in such an inspiring way. It was akin to the way I remembered my dad describing how he felt when Kennedy gave his inauguration speech. At the time, he was the new senator from Illinois.
None of us had voted for him or contributed to his campaigns. None of us was saying, ‘I want to back this guy for president.’ It was more this generational experience, of seeing someone we felt represented us in a very unique and fresh way, and the desire to explore what would happen to the first person our age who staked a claim to national leadership.
Obama granted access to Rice and Sams’ cameras during his 2006 trip to Africa, and they’ve been with him ever since; as Norton points out, “A lack of material won’t be our problem, there are hundreds of hours of tape already. We’ve got to do the work.”
Source: Variety
