Christian Bale's Dick Cheney biopic gets a title, holiday release date

Christian Bale and Amy Adams are firming up a sturdy grasp on awards season with their upcoming political dramedy Vice.

Annapurna announced the previously untitled Dick Cheney biopic’s new title and release date Friday, confirming the long-gestating project from The Big Short director Adam McKay will hit theaters nationwide on Dec. 25 in time to qualify for the 91st Academy Awards. A trailer for the film is due to arrive on Wednesday.

Chronicling the politician’s rise to prominence as George W. Bush’s vice president between 2001 and 2009, the film traces Cheney’s controversial position as a powerful bureaucrat in Washington who played a key role in shaping the path to the Iraq War before his personal life courted controversy when he accidentally shot his recreational partner during a 2006 quail hunting trip in Texas.

Bale will lead the film as Cheney, while Adams portrays his wife, Lynne. Also starring in the film are Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld, Bill Pullman as Nelson Rockefeller, Lily Rabe and Alison Pill as Cheney’s daughters Liz and Mary, and reigning best supporting actor champion Sam Rockwell as Bush.

The project marks McKay’s first directorial feature since The Big Short, which also scored him an Oscar for best adapted screenplay in 2016. McKay, Will Ferrell, and Kevin J. Messick are producing the film alongside Jeremy Kleiner, Dede Gardner, and Brad Pitt — a trio that previously won Oscars for their work on best picture champions 12 Years a Slave and Moonlight.