Ragesh Dipu
Russell Crowe’s long-awaited portrayal of the controversial Fox News chief Roger Ailes is finally arriving on Showtime. The network has announced that ‘Roger Ailes’ miniseries, titled ‘The Loudest Room’, will premiere on Sunday, June 30. Showtime also dropped a brand new teaser trailer giving us the first look of an unrecognizable Crowe.
‘Here in America, television news is king,’ announces the overtly bossy Ailes in the trailer. ‘We’re gonna give them a vision of the world the way they want it to be…we’re way past politics, it’s war,’ he roars! The cryptic trailer also hides numerous hints about the alleged sexual harassment which pulled Ailes down from his throne. He touches Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson, played by Naomi Watts, who looks extremely uncomfortable and dubious of his intentions.
‘The Loudest Voice’ is based on Gabriel Sherman’s bestselling and controversial book, ‘The Loudest Voice in the Room.’ The series chronicles Ailes meteoric rise to the top of Fox and pathetic fall as an abuser. The makers also dig deep into how Ailes transformed Fox News into a cable news giant and monetary settlements that brought Ailes to his knees. Sherman co-wrote the first episode with creator Tom McCarthy, who is best knows as the writer of ‘Spotlight.’
Ailes’ tenure at Fox ended with one of the lawsuits depicted in the series which was brought forward by Naomi Watts’ Gretchen Carlson in 2016. Carlson accused Ailes of sexual harassment. As more women followed Carlson with serious accusations, he had no other option but step down. Ailes died in May 2017 at the age of 77.
‘The Loudest Voice’ also features an ensemble cast which includes Simon McBurney as the legendary Rupert Murdoch. Seth MacFarlane plays Brian Lewis, the network’s longtime public relations chief, Ailes’ right hand and staunch supporter. Sienna Miller portrays Aisles’ wife, Beth. Josh Charles joins the series as Carlson’s husband, Casey Close.
Interestingly, ‘The Loudest Voice’ is not the only project centers on the Ailes story. There another Ailes biopic in the making with Jay Roach as the creator. The movie is called ‘Fair and Balanced’ with John Lithgow portraying Ailes. The movie also features an all-star female-led cast, including Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, Allison Janney, and Kate McKinnon.
Kari Skogland, who directed the latest season of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ directs seven episodes of ‘The Loudest Voice.‘ Sherman, who hit became the center of the Ailes controversy after the release of his book, once told in an interview, ‘The subtitle of my book is “Roger Ailes Divided A Country.” The resentments and the antagonisms that are surfaced on Fox have cleaved our culture. The right has Fox News; MSNBC counter-programmed to Fox; the Internet is now populated with all brand of sites that present news from different ideological positions.’
Sherman has been a media insider with access to internal politics and the work culture at Fox News. ‘Ultimately, we’ve lost this notion that journalism should be separate from politics. Now, politics and journalism have been fused and Roger Ailes has been at the center of that transformation,’ he added in the interview.
Take a look at the stunning trailer below.
The series premieres on June 30 on Showtime.
