Will Ferrell has quite an impressive list of legendary movie characters to his name.
From Buddy the Elf and Ron Burgundy to Jacobim Mugatu and Brennan Huff, he’s had quite the range of comedic roles and seems to be able to do anything.
But there’s one movie he dropped out of after the family of the man he was supposed to play slammed the ‘cruel’ storyline.
Ferrell has of course turned down other roles for various reasons, such as saying no to returning to Buddy or having to abandon playing Rod Kimble in Hot Rod due to scheduling issues.
And in 2016, the star was gearing up to play Ronald Reagan in a film he was set to produce.
It’s said the comedy would see Ferrell as the former US president (who died in 2004) during his waning years.
Reagan was reportedly going to be an ‘alternate take’ on the history, set at the start of Reagan’s second term in office when he reportedly started suffering from Alzheimer’s.
The movie would then see an ambitious intern tasked with convincing the president he is an actor playing that role in a film.
But following a high-profile live script reading in March 2016, there was a wave of backlash.
Reagan’s family were infuriated by the comedy and publicly criticised Ferrell for agreeing to the role.
“There’s nothing funny about Alzheimer’s. It is terrifying for the families of those who suffer from it,” the late president’s daughter, Patti Davis, told Page Six at the time. “This movie is cruel, not just to my father, but to the millions of people who have the disease, and the millions more who care for them and watch them suffer every day.”
And her brother, Michael Reagan, also shared: “Alzheimer’s is not a comedy to the 5 million people who are suffering with the disease.”
A statement was also released by the Chicago-based Alzheimer’s Association, reading: “The Alzheimer’s Association is appalled that anyone would plan to develop a film that satirizes an individual living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia.
“Would filmmakers consider using a fatal form of cancer or another deadly disease for comedy? It’s time to stop this forever.”
The reason why has never been confirmed, but Ferrell dropped out of the movie not long after his involvement was announced.
At the time, his rep said: “The ‘Reagan’ script is one of a number of scripts that had been submitted to Will Ferrell which he had considered. While it is by no means an ‘Alzheimer’s comedy’ as has been suggested, Mr. Ferrell is not pursuing this project.”
That planned Reagan film never went ahead in the end and Davis added: “I am so relieved that Will has decided against this film. I can’t imagine that anybody else would sign onto it.”
