'Our Brand is Crisis' release date, trailer & news update: Sandra Bullock plays 'intriguing' political power player role [HD video]

By Staff Writer | Sep 09, 2015 | 06:56 AM EDT

Sandra Bullock portrays Jane "Calamity" Bodine in the new film "Our Brand is Crisis." According to People, the movie is based on a 2005 documentary of the same name which was based on real events.

Watch the trailer of "Our Brand is Crisis" where Sandra Bullock plays an "intriguing" campaign strategist in political power game. 


In the trailer, the Oscar-nominated Bullock plays devious campaign strategist Bodine. She was basically pulled out of retirement when she was assigned to help her candidate, former Bolivian president Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, to get reelected in the presidential race. Bodine finds out later that she will go head to head with rival campaign strategist Pat Candy (played by Billy Bob Thornton) as he coaches her rival.

Interestingly, the lead role of the movie was written for a man. In fact, it was Bullock's "Gravity" co-star George Clooney who was supposed to play the part.

"About two and a half years ago I put out feelers saying, 'I'm not reading anything I'm excited about," Bullock told Entertainment Weekly. "Are there any male roles out there that [the filmmakers] don't mind switching to female?"

The movie was produced by Clooney and Grant Heslov and the role was given to Bullock when she found the script by Peter Straughan interesting.

When asked of what she thought about her character Bodine, Bullock says that she "basically a female Karl Rove," and "She's brilliant at the devious side of politics."

"She's an amalgamation of an essence of a few people. She's someone who's superb in her field," Bullock told People "You don't get to read roles like this a lot. There's a lot of unforgivable things that she does, yet somehow you have to cheer for her."

"Our Brand is Crisis" also stars Anthony Mackie, Zoe Karzan, Ann Dowd, Scott McNairy, and Joaquim de Almeida. According to Time, it is directed by David Gordon Green. The film will premiere on Oct. 30 this year at the Toronto International Film Festival.

In the article by EW, it stated that the premiere had been specifically chosen so it would be shown during the start of preparations for the American Presidential Elections.

"Timing was very important with this movie," director Green told the magazine. "It's going to start a lot of conversations."

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