Robert Davi to direct Hunter Biden biopic from 'Gosnell' filmmakers
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Robert Davi has signed on to direct the upcoming biopic on Hunter Biden from the filmmakers behind "Gosnell: The Untold Story of America's Most Prolific Serial Killer," who have a knack for telling stories that liberal Hollywood tends to ignore.
"My Son Hunter" is expected to chronicle the "rock and roll lifestyle" and shady business activities of the president’s youngest son – and viewers can expect it to contain humor and be edgy, Davi told Fox News Tuesday.
"It’s a story that has far-reaching implications…that has not been told," he said.
The story is told through the eyes of a 22-year-old Asian American woman, a character based on a "composite of different experiences," whose progressive political beliefs transform over time, Davi, an outspoken conservative, said.
HUNTER BIDEN FILM BEING PRODUCED BY IRISH FILMMAKERS – NOT HOLLYWOOD
(Getty Images)
"It's a Shakespearean portrait of a man, for me, in a period of his life, and it begs examination," Davi said. "And I think most people are interested in it because it’s got politics, family, possible criminal behavior -- addiction."
The film will delve into Biden’s reputation for hard partying, his battle with addiction, his Ukrainian business contacts, family drama and alleged corruption, according to Phelim McAleer, one half of the Irish filmmaking couple behind the film.
Davi, who as an actor appeared in movies including "Die Hard" and "The Goonies," made his directorial debut with 2007’s award-winning "The Dukes."
He said McAleer and his wife, Ann McElhinney, approached him at a performance in New York City last January – and a short while later they sent him a script.
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He said it reminded him of two other jaw-dropping dramas based on true stories: "American Hustle" and "Blow."
"I read it, and I liked the material," he said. "And I started getting more into the researching of Hunter, reading his memoir and reading whatever I could on the subject matter."
He said the younger Biden’s self-reflection, intelligence and built-in dramatics piqued his interested.
"It’s like a confessional novel, but you justify your behavior in a certain way," he said. "What I found is the pain he received from the loss of his brother Beau."
Davi said he could relate to such pain. His sister was murdered in the 1980s, and he lost both parents at a young age.
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Hunter Biden’s struggle with addiction is another aspect many Americans can relate to, even as other aspects of the story appear larger than life.
"You want a human character that has failings," Davi said. "It’s Shakespearian to me that this is a gentleman who is getting $83,000 a month for five years while he was smoking a crack pipe, going to meetings with heads of state, and having to hype it up 20 minutes before."
"They didn’t see this?" he added.
The mainstream media has also downplayed reporting on Biden’s questionable ventures, and Twitter further suppressed coverage of the story last year by suspending the New York Post after it published leaked documents from Hunter Biden’s laptop.
So "My Son Hunter" will attempt to tell the story without "demonizing" anyone and let viewers decide what to believe, according to the filmmakers.
"Who was pulling the strings?" Davi said. "That begs investigation."
McAleer and McElhinney began crowdfunding for the film back in March.
"People need to know this story," McAleer told Fox News. "It’s about some of the most powerful people in the country. Nobody knows it. But it’s shocking."
Filming is expected to begin this fall in Serbia.
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A federal investigation into Hunter Biden is being overseen by David Weiss, the U.S. attorney for Delaware, who was asked to stay on in his role after the Biden administration in early February asked that all other Trump-appointed federal prosecutors resign by the end of the month. Biden said in December he was "confident" that investigators would find that he handled his affairs "legally and appropriately."
McAleer and McElhinney’s prior film, "Gosnell: The Untold Story of America's Most Prolific Serial Killer," told the story of Philadelphia Dr. Kermit Gosnell, a late-term abortion provider who is now a convicted murderer.
