David Henrie, the former star of Disney's "Wizards of Waverly Place," will star as Ronald Reagan in an upcoming biopic about the 40th President of the United States, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The 25-year-old actor will play Reagan as a young man when he was an actor, president of the Screen Actor's Guild and a strong anti-communist supporter.
"It's a universal film with universal values and principals," Henrie told The Hollywood Reporter.
"Reagan" will tell its story through the point of view of veteran KGB officer Viktor Petrovich, who was tasked with keeping close tabs on the future president all the way back during his time as SAG president. He will recount the story of Reagan's rise from Hollywood actor to the Oval Office as he speaks to a young Russian leader who wonders why the Soviet Union fell.
"We will witness his unwavering vision as he plants the seeds that will bring an Evil Empire to its knees and the world back from the brink of Armageddon," reads the film's description by Manifest Film Sales. "Ronald Reagan achieved many extraordinary things during his life and triumphed over tyranny without firing a single shot."
Screenwriter Howard Klausner ("Space Cowboys") recently finished the script based on the two best-selling books by Paul Kengor: "Gond and Ronald Reagan: A Spiritual Life" and "The Crusader: Ronal Reagan and the Fall of Communism."
"I've been very pleased to see the script develop in a manner that is faithful to my books and ultimately to history," said Kengor, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Reagan was last portrayed on-screen by Alan Rickman in the 2013 film "Lee Daniels' The Butler." Rickman's performance received positive reviews, but his depiction came under much scrutiny from Reagan's son, Michael Reagan, and Kengor himself.
