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http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2011/07/could-kathryn-bigelows-osama-bin-laden-movie-be-the-2012-elections-october-surprise.html
Could Kathryn Bigelow’s Osama bin Laden Movie Be the 2012 Election’s October
Surprise?
<http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2011/07/could-kathryn-bigelows-osama-bin-laden-movie-be-the-2012-elections-october-surprise.html>
by Juli Weiner <http://www.vanityfair.com/contributors/juli-weiner>
July 29, 2011, 8:30 AM
Follow @juliweiner

[image: osamasituationroom.jpg]*Photo by Pete Souza.*Oscar-winning director
Kathryn Bigelow’s forthcoming Osama bin Laden assassination
movie—which is rumored
to star<http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2011/05/casting-the-osama-bin-laden-movie-denzel-as-obama-blanchett-as-trump-shalhoub-as-bin-laden.html>Dennis
Farina as Vice President Joe Biden, Garry Shandling as British Prime
Minister David Cameron, and Vin Diesel as Man with Gun No. 2—has just
been assigned
a release date of October 12,
2012<http://www.deadline.com/2011/07/sony-seals-october-12-2012-release-date-for-kathryn-bigelow-bin-ladenseal-team-thriller/>.
Not only is October 12, 2012, just about the day it becomes O.K. to start
thinking about Halloween, it’s also prime timing for the 2012 election’s
October Surprise.

According to Deadline Hollywood
Daily<http://www.deadline.com/2011/07/sony-seals-october-12-2012-release-date-for-kathryn-bigelow-bin-ladenseal-team-thriller/>,
the movie has become “the hottest project in town” since bin Laden’s death
on May 2. In terms of publicity and rollout, Sony Pictures “is using a
strategy similar to the one employed on *The Social Network.*” Let’s assume
the film is a huge hit: Bigelow is not too far removed from her 2009 Oscar
win, and interest in seeing the death of bin Laden is, as we
know<http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/190298/250/Poll-Most-want-US-to-release-Osamas-death-photos>,
appreciable. If the “Barack Obama” character is portrayed as a strong leader
whose military savvy wrought great success and security, it could improve
the president’s image among audience members. It might even convert some
undecideds.

On the other hand, if Republican nominee Herman Cain taps Sarah Palin as his
running-mate, and Victory Films and ARC Entertainment upload an extended
version of *The
Undefeated*<http://victoryfilmgroup.com/theundefeatedmovie/credits/>to
YouTube, the polls could also see some action.

*Deep cut:* A September 12, 2008, *Los Angeles Times*
article<http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/09/obama-osama-mcc.html>that
reveals a “possible goal” of the government: “to get Osama bin Laden,
the leader of al Qaeda, before the election or by the time George W. Bush’s
second term ends January 20.”


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Alexander Snyder-Mackler
(302) 598-867