Oprah Winfrey to Star in Lee Daniel's THE BUTLER?

As first reported in the Hollywood Reporter, media queen Oprah Winfrey is considering a return to the big screen in Lee Daniel's film THE BUTLER. The film will tell the story of EuGene Allen, an African-American who served as a butler in the White House through eight presidential administrations from 1952 - 1986.

The biopic will be based on Wil Haygood's 2008 Washington Post story 'A Butler Well Served by This Election'. The article focused on Allen, who began his career at the White House as a "pantry man" in 1952, when blacks were not permitted to use public restrooms in his native Virginia. Through the eight administrations for which he served, he witnessed major civil rights events first hand including the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy. The story was published Nov. 7, 2008, following the election of President Obama.

According to the report, actors Hugh Jackman, Mila Kunis and John Cusack are among those rumored to be interested in portraying real-life figures in the upcoming biopic. Winfrey's last appearance on the big screen was in the 1998 film 'Beloved'. She would play the role of Allen's wife in the film, while Kunis would portray Jackie Kennedy and Cusack would play Richard Nixon.

Winfrey received an Oscar nomination for the 1985 film 'The Color Purple' and has lent her voice to the animated films The Princess and the Frog and Charlotte's Web. She also has appeared as herself on NBC's 30 Rock, and is the co-owner with Discovery Communications of the Oprah Winfrey Network.

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