By now the hype around The Butler has pretty much died down. Everything that came out of Terrence Howard’s “ tig ole bitties ” statement about his love scene with Oprah, is no longer plaguing people’s minds late at night. With that said, it was only a matter of time before the trailer would drop for Lee Daniels’ The Butler .
With Oscar season just around the corner, The Weinstein Brothers have made their first move by giving the audience a glimpse of what’s to come in the fall for the anticipated film. The Butler stars a Who’s Who cast including Howard, Oprah, Cuba Gooding Jr., Lenny Kravitz, Alan Rickman, Jane Fonda, John Cusack, and Robin Williams.
The Butler , written by Danny Strong is a true story of Eugene Allen, who was the White House butler, serving under eight presidents during the years of 1952 to 1986. Whitaker leads the cast in the role of the butler, and Winfrey is his wife. While Howard’s role is unknown, obviously he becomes entangled in some sort of affair with Oprah. However, the film is still rated PG-13 so his account of filming a steamy love scene with the talk show host may not be as bad as it sounded.
For Daniels, this is his follow up to the widely panned film The Paperboy, which came and went very quickly. The trailer for The Butler shows off its bevy of famous faces in the way that announces itself as a serious Oscar contender. Daniels’ fingerprint isn’t in sight, and there’s no traces of remnants from the odd Paperboy in this trailer. Everything about this trailer screams Oscar. The set up of a young boy faced with trials and tribulations, and his triumph as a respected citizen despite unwavering discrimination, to the typical swell of familiar orchestral music. It goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway, that The Weinstein Brothers know exactly what they’re doing for this picture. The Butler hits theaters October 18.
Do you think Lee Daniels will have his second Oscar nomination on his hands? Check out the trailer below and tell us what you think: