Shubhabrata Dutta
Ben Stiller has opted for a string of locations for his next directorial feature. The principal photography for the political drama ‘Bag Man’ will take place in Washington, DC, Harrison (New Jersey), Baltimore (Maryland), and Budapest (Hungary) starting in November this year. Stiller also wrote the screenplay with Adam Perlman and Mike Yarvitz.
The movie is based on Rachel Maddow’s podcast about one of the biggest political scandals in US history. Set in 1973, when Watergate was at its height, it will show how three young federal prosecutors went after former US vice-president Spiro T. Agnew, of the Nixon administration, who was involved in bribery and carried out an extortion ring in office for years. A mission was launched, and Agnew did all he could to bury the investigation and obstruct justice, including riling up his partisan base, dismissing the case as a “witch hunt,” and making the press the enemy. At the same time, his circle of loyalists kept crumbling.
Besides being an actor, Stiller has also had an excellent track record as a director, having helmed immortal comedies like ‘Tropic Thunder,’ the ‘Zoolander’ movies, ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,’ and ‘The Cable Guy.’ His latest directorial credit is the Apple TV+ series ‘Severance,’ a sci-fi mystery show that deals with office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their profession and personal lives. He directed multiple episodes along with others. Season 2 of ‘Severance’ ended in March this year, and Season 3 will reportedly arrive in 2026.
Washington, DC, served as a base for ‘Argo,’ starring Ben Affleck, ‘Miss Sloane,’ featuring Jessica Chastain, and ‘Vice,’ starring Christian Bale. Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ utilized Harrison as a backdrop. Baltimore became a setting for David Fincher’s ‘The Social Network’ and ‘Jackie,’ starring Natalie Portman. Last but not least, Budapest served as the base for ‘Nuremberg,’ starring Russell Crowe, and ‘Lee,’ featuring Kate Winslet.
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