The Weinstein Co. has acquired Emilio Estevez‘s ensemble drama "Bobby," which follows the 1968 assassination of Robert Kennedy at the Ambassador Hotel and its effect on the hotel’s inhabitants, played by a vast, star-studded cast.
Estevez has been relatively quiet in recent years, but is likely to regain A-list level attention with "Bobby," which he wrote, directed, and co-stars in. Headlining the cast are heavyweights Anthony Hopkins, Demi Moore, Sharon Stone, and Elijah Wood, and they’re given additional support by an endless cast that includes (take a deep breath) Lindsay Lohan, William H. Macy, Helen Hunt, Christian Slater, Heather Graham, Laurence Fishburne, Martin Sheen, Shia LaBeouf, Joshua Jackson, David Krumholtz, Freddy Rodriguez, Nick Cannon, Svetlana Metkina, Kip Pardue, Harry Belafonte, Joy Bryant, Brian Geraghty, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jacob Vargas, and Estevez himself. Whew!
From the Weinstein Co. press release: ""Bobby" revisits the night Robert F. Kennedy was gunned down at the Ambassador Hotel in 1968. Story is about how the lives of those at the hotel that evening intersected. Movie will take place against the backdrop of the cultural issues gripping the country at the time, including racism, sexual inequality and class differences."
More character tidbits from The Hollywood Reporter: "Anthony Hopkins stars as the hotel’s retired but ever-present doorman. Lindsay Lohan and Elijah Wood appear as a couple who get engaged so that Wood’s character can avoid being sent to the front lines in the Vietnam War, an arrangement made by his Vietnam vet brother and her boyfriend (Kip Pardue).
Estevez and former fiancee Demi Moore play romantically linked down-and-out entertainers.
Sharon Stone plays a beautician married to the hotel’s manager (William H. Macy), who works alongside a chef (Laurence Fishburne), busboy (Freddy Rodriguez), phone operators (Heather Graham and Joy Bryant) and a food and beverage manager (Christian Slater).
Helen Hunt and Martin Sheen, Estevez’ father, portray married socialites staying at the hotel. Joshua Jackson plays a Kennedy volunteer, and Harry Belafonte rounds out the star ensemble as the ex-doorman’s retired friend."
No exact release date has been set, but "Bobby" is likely to hit theaters in Fall 2006.
