Bryan Cranston Makes The Perfect Lyndon B. Johnson In New ‘All The Way’ Trailer [Video]

Last month, the Inquisitr took a first look at Bryan Cranston as Lyndon B. Johnson in the new HBO biopic film All the Way. This month has brought another trailer and a closer look at the four-time Emmy-Award-winning actor’s newest role. At certain points, Bryan Cranston appears almost indistinguishable from LBJ.

According to We Got This Covered, All the Way takes place during of a very turbulent time in United States history. In 1963, John F. Kennedy had just been assassinated and his vice president, Lyndon B. Johnson, had to step in the take the reins of a troubled nation. To tell that story, Bryan Cranston takes on the role of one of the country’s most controversial presidents — a crass and complicated man who many people blamed for the Vietnam war.

But Bryan Cranston isn’t the only reputably actor who appears in All the Way. He will be joined by co-star Anthony Mackie (of Marvel fame) who plays Martin Luther King Jr., as well as Stephen Root, Melissa Leo, Bradley Whitford, and Frank Langella.

The HBO original film is directed by Jay Roach. You can read the official synopsis for All the Way below and watch the newest trailer at the top of the page.

“‘All The Way’ offers a riveting behind-the scenes look at President Lyndon B. Johnson’s (Bryan Cranston) tumultuous first year in office after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Staking his presidency on what would be an historic unprecedented Civil Rights Act, 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. As King battles to press Johnson while controlling more radical elements of the Civil Rights Movement, Johnson navigates the bill through Congress, winning a landslide victory against Barry Goldwater, but causing the South to defect from the Democratic Party.”

According to Esquire, the HBO version of All the Way is actually a film adaptation of a stage play, wherein Bryan Cranston also portrayed Lyndon B. Johnson. In fact, Bryan Cranston won a Tony for that award, which might have helped encourage Jay Roach to bring the play to the screen.

The makeup department did an amazing job turning Bryan Cranston into Lyndon B. Johnson, but the actor does the rest of the work bringing the iconic president back to life. Adopting a southern drawl, Cranston’s character voice becomes almost unrecognizable in the trailer. The teaser also exhibits some of the compelling dialogue from All the Way.

“Politics is war by other means.”

All the Way will highlight LBJ’s difficulty trying to stay true to both his party and the policies he inherited from JFK’s presidency, as well as the president’s infamous blend of dignified leadership and crude irreverence. This is the American president who conducted important meetings while sitting on the toilet, after all. However, the film appears to be contained within only the first year of Lyndon Johnson’s presidency, unless HBO decides to turn it into a miniseries.

Bryan Cranston has a significant fan following after stunning audiences as the chemistry-teacher-turned-drug-lord Walter White in Breaking Bad, which earned him all four of his Emmys. Since the series ended, Bryan Cranston has gone on to take roles in several successful films, including another historical biopic about a famous screenwriter in Trumbo. Cranston was nominated for an Oscar for that role, but didn’t win.

All the Way will premiere on HBO on May 21 at 8 p.m. ET.

Will you be tuning in to see Bryan Cranston in his latest role? Do you think he makes the perfect Lyndon B. Johnson?

[Photo via HBO]