Dennis Quaid Becomes ‘Reagan’ and Tells Mr. Gorbachev to Tear Down This Wall in First Trailer for Biopic

Well, the first trailer for Dennis Quaid‘s Ronald Reagan biopic has debuted. The actor plays the 40th President of the United States in the feature, which promises to span the major events of Reagan’s life, including his confrontation with childhood bullies, his acting career and time leading the Screen Actors Guild and his ascendant rise in politics bolstered by anti-communist rhetoric. Set to a cover of Tears for Fears’ ’80s hit “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” the trailer tracks how Reagan wanted to rule the free world — and did.

“I was a lifeguard on a river. And I learned how to read the currents — not just the ones on the surface, but also the ones deep underneath the water,” President Reagan says in the trailer, drawing a comparison to his own eye for geopolitical tensions. The footage also teases more well-known moments from the conservative President’s tenure, including an attempted assassination on him and a climactic stinger of Reagan’s speech in West Berlin.

The cast also includes Penelope Ann Miller as First Lady Nancy Reagan, Mena Suvari as his first wife Jane Wyman, Lesley-Anne Down as Margaret Thatcher, Kevin Dillon as Jack L. Warner and Jon Voight as Petrovich, a Soviet who claims to have spied on Reagan for years.

Primarily filmed in Oklahoma during the fall of 2020, “Reagan” debuted a first look of Quaid in the lead role tied to CinemaCon 2022. After a series of delays, it was reported this spring that the newly launched ShowBiz Direct had acquired the biopic for theatrical distribution. The biopic reemerged during this year’s CinemaCon in April. “Reagan” marks the studio’s debut release.

“Reagan” will release in theaters on August 30. Grab some jelly beans and watch the trailer below.