Ed Harris To Star As John McCain In 'Game Change'

Harris-Moore, 2012? Ed Harris will star opposite Julianne Moore as John McCain in HBO's upcoming adaptation of Game Change, Deadline reports. Based on the 2010 book by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, the story chronicles the 2008 presidential election, including McCain's selection of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (Moore) as his running mate. The film will be directed by Jay Roach and written by Danny Strong, who previously wrote the screenplay for HBO's Recount, about the 2000 election debacle in Florida. Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman's Playtone will produce the film. The roles of eventual President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have yet to be cast.

On paper, Game Change has all the makings for award season gold. Moore and Harris are both Oscar and Golden Globe nominees, Harris having won a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe for his role in The Truman Show in 1998. He's also familiar with the network; Harris previously teamed up with HBO for Empire Falls, which earned him an Emmy nomination in 2005. —EMILY EXTON