Since transforming into much-derided political figures is all the rage in Hollywood these days, Russell Crowe is on deck as Roger Ailes in an upcoming Showtime series.
“The Loudest Voice in the Room,” adapted from Gabriel Sherman’s extensively reported book of the same name, examines the checkered final decade of Ailes’ life and how he “molded Fox News into a force that irrevocably changed the conversation about the highest levels of government,” according to Showtime.
In the first look at the series, unveiled on Thursday, the Oscar-winning Crowe is nearly unrecognizable as the late cable-news giant, sporting what looks like a bald cap and some prosthetics.
The first images of Crowe on set made the internet rounds in November, with social media users expressing shock over his transformation.
The eight-episode limited series, written by “Spotlight” director Todd McCarthy, also stars Naomi Watts as Gretchen Carlson, Seth MacFarlane and Sienna Miller and is expected to debut this year.
Ailes was ousted at the Fox News in 2016 for allegedly engaging in serial sexual harassment. More than 20 women at the network, including Carlson and Megyn Kelly, came forward with stories of misconduct. Carlson brought a lawsuit against him, claiming she was fired for rebuffing his sexual advances.
Ailes died 10 months after his departure, in May 2017 at age 77, after falling and hitting his head in his bathroom.
A slew of projects focused on the life and legacy of the disgraced Fox News founder have been in the pipeline for some time. The documentary “Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes,” chronicling his rise and fall, was released to much critical acclaim in December.
A currently untitled upcoming film from director Jay Roach will also tackle the sexual harassment scandal from the perspective of the network’s female employees, with John Lithgow assuming the role of Ailes and Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie and Charlize Theron rounding out the cast.