Saint Ronnie?

Network Pulling Reagan Movie
CBS Endures Criticism About Portrayal Of President

POSTED: 12:50 p.m. EST November 4, 2003
UPDATED: 4:02 p.m. EST November 4, 2003
CBS will not broadcast a controversial movie about former President Ronald Reagan, according to a statement issued Tuesday by the network.

The move comes after a Republican's criticism that the film portrayed Reagan and his wife, Nancy, in an unflattering light, according to a report Monday in the trade paper Variety.

The two-part television movie was to have aired Nov. 16 and 18.

"This decision is based solely on our reaction to seeing the final film, not the controversy that erupted around a draft of the script," CBS said in the statement. "Although the mini-series features impressive production values and acting performances, and although the producers have sources to verify each scene in the script, we believe it does not present a balanced portrayal of the Reagans for CBS and its audience. Subsequent edits that we considered did not address those concerns."

Instead, the network sold the rights to the movie to Showtime.

"A free broadcast network, available to all over the public airwaves, has different standards than media the public must pay to view," read the CBS statement. "We do, however, recognize and respect the filmmakers' right to have their voice heard and their film seen. As such, we have reached an agreement to license the exhibition rights for the film to Showtime, a subscriber-based, pay-cable network. We believe this is a solution that benefits everyone involved."

Additionally, CBS promised to address any similar programming concerns that come its way.

"This was not an easy decision to make," read the statement. "CBS does tackle controversial subjects and provide tough assessments of prominent historical figures and events, as we did with films such as 'Jesus,' '9/11' and 'Hitler.' We will continue to do so in the future."

Also raising Republicans' ire over the telefilm, was that self-described liberals James Brolin and Judy Davis are portraying Ronald and Nancy Reagan. Brolin is also the husband of Democratic activist Barbra Streisand, whose Web site denies that she had any influence on the project.

Streisand's representative on the site said the entertainer was on the set of the television movie for a total of only 4 hours of one day, countering a report from Internet reporter Matt Drudge's report that she was there for more.

The representative also noted on Streisand's site that she never read the script, has never seen the movie, nor had Brolin had any involvement in the way Reagan was depicted.

"What is going on instead is that the Republicans, who deify President Reagan, cannot stand that some of the more unpleasant truths about his character and presidency might be depicted in the movie, along with his positive actions," the statement on the site read.

According to the report in Variety Monday, Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie asked CBS to let a team of scholars look at a film prior to its airing to gauge its historical accuracy.

The telefilm's Robert Allan Ackerman, has quit the production over the flap, according to Variety. Depending on the outcome of the edits, he may also have the Director's Guild of America remove his name from the credits, the paper said.

Showtime also issued a statement Tuesday, acknowledging the controversy surrounding "The Reagans."

"As a result, the network is planning to provide an on-air forum in conjunction with the airing of the film that will provide a dialogue for those who agree and disagree with its content," said the network in a statement. "Showtime will collaborate with the filmmaker to create a final film that will be the kind of quality programming