Next weekend Showcase airs a must see HBO film All the Way which airs just a few days after the US
All The Way takes a riveting behind- the-scenes look at US President LBJ’s first year in office, when he battled southern party leaders who brought him to power to forge an unlikely alliance with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and fight for the passage of the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Bill.
Adapted from the 2014 Broadway production of the same name that starred Cranston and swept numerous awards, including Best Play and Best Actor (Cranston) awards at the Tonys, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle, ALL THE WAY takes a behind-the-scenes look at Lyndon Baines Johnson’s tumultuous first year in office after the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas.
The film follows Johnson as he stakes his presidency on an historic and unprecedented piece of human-rights legislation: the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Following the lead set by his slain predecessor, Johnson finds himself caught between the moral imperative of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Anthony Mackie) and the expectations of the southern Democratic Party leaders who brought Johnson to power – all while fighting to control the demons of his own insecurity and staging a 1964 campaign to win the presidency on his own terms.
The play also set Broadway box-office records twice for biggest weekly gross of a new play (non- musical). HBO’s adaptation captures the intimacy of the original stage play by Robert Schenkkan (who wrote the screenplay) while expanding the scope of the drama and presenting it on a larger, more cinematic canvas.
Featuring an exceptional supporting cast including Frank Langella, Melissa Leo and Bradley Whitford, All the Way is directed by Jay Roach (Trumbo; Emmy® winner for HBO’s Game Change and Recount) from a screenplay by Robert Schenkkan (Pulitzer Prize winner for “The Kentucky Cycle”; two-time Emmy® nominee and Writers Guild Award winner for HBO’s The Pacific), who adapted his Tony Award-winning play of the same name. Legendary director Steven Spielberg is among the film’s executive producers, along with Robert Schenkkan, Jay Roach, Bryan Cranston, Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey.
All the way premieres 8:30 PM Sunday May 29 on Showcase
