Reagan Biopic Starring Dennis Quaid, Jon Voight Gets Long-Awaited Release Date

Reagan, a long-awaited biopic that will star veteran actor Dennis Quaid as America’s 40th president, has officially scheduled a release date for this summer.

The movie — which has been in development off-and-on since 2018 — is set to hit cinemas on August 30. The film will be debuting under a new partnership with Showbiz Direct, according to a report from Deadline. Showbiz Direct is run by a number of industry veterans, including exhibition veteran Kevin Mitchell, former Lionsgate distribution president Richie Fay, and Scott Kennedy, the former co-president of Open Road distribution, the outlet noted.

In what is set to be the first major biopic surrounding President Reagan’s life, the film will detail Reagan’s life from his childhood in Dixon, Illinois, to his movie career in Hollywood, and ultimately his political rise.

Dennis Quaid is set to play the lead role, while Academy Award winner Jon Voight will play an aging Soviet spy who shares his thoughts on his longtime adversary. Additional cast includes Penelope Ann Miller as Nancy Reagan, Mena Suvari as Reagan’s first wife Jane Wyman, Lesley-Anne Down as Margaret Thatcher, David Henrie as teenage Reagan, and Kevin Dillon as Jack Warner.

“Portraying Ronald Reagan was an enormous challenge,” Quaid told Deadline. “This is an important movie, one of my most interesting roles and I am really excited to work with the ShowBiz team to get this film opened in theatres this Summer.”

The film faced a long road before finally getting its August opening. While the project was conceptualized as far back as 2018, the film faced multiple delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as last year’s actors’ strike.

“I’ve had my eyes on this movie for a while. Dennis Quaid does such an amazing job portraying Reagan,” said Showbiz Direct executive Kevin Mitchell. He went on to elaborate on the studio’s goals, which include helping to “close the gap between the creative community and exhibition while embracing the theatrical release of motion pictures in a very transparent way.”

“Reagan was sought by many, and we are happy that we could reach an agreement with Mark Joseph and his team,” he added.