Adam McKay's Next Movie Looks To Be Inviting More Controversy
Writer-director Adam McKay is no stranger to controversy when it comes to the subjects of his films. "The Big Short," which came out in 2015, was a compelling and darkly humorous look at the events that caused the 2007 financial crisis (though it severely "falls short" when it comes to women characters, as Vogue explains, even leaving out a key female player in the events). McKay's follow-up, 2018's "Vice," shone its spotlight on one of the most controversial vice presents of American history, leading outlets such as Vox to wonder if the film "demonizes America" in its attempt to analyze Dick Cheney (Christian Bale). Finally, McKay's most recent film, 2021's "Don't Look Up," takes on America's lagging response to climate change in its narrative of scientists' warning about an earth-destroying comet heading toward the planet being ignored — resulting in a much-talked-about, and hard-to-watch, ending.
With his next project, McKay is taking on another timely and serious topic that is pretty likely to stir up some controversy similar to what McKay is used to. However, this time, McKay will be acting as producer, while a different filmmaker takes on the writer-director role.
The upcoming film will be written and directed by Billy Ray, who most recently spearheaded the 2020 Showtime series, "The Comey Rule," focusing on former FBI director James Comey. So, what topic is being tackled that is likely to get people talking? Well, the title, "J6," may give you somewhat of an indication ...
J6 will delve into the January 6 insurrection
The January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was, as the New York Times describes, "the worst assault on the Capitol since 1814, when the British burned the building." As the investigation into the insurrection continues on, writer-director Billy Ray has begun working on his feature film, in which the January 6 attack will be at the forefront, as reported by Deadline.
According to Deadline, Ray was "deeply affected by the attack" and traveled to Washington D.C. in the days following the attack to interview some individuals who were involved, including some of the members of Congress who were stuck inside the Capitol and police officers Michael Fanone and Harry Dunn. Additionally, Fanone has acted as a consultant on Ray's script. Speaking about these interviews, Ray said, "The goal was to do a ground-level view of a momentous day. It's about protesters who became rioters and cops who became defenders of democracy. Someone else can tell the story of the chaos at the White House on that day. I wanted to stay in the trenches."
Ray has also collaborated with Cullen Hoback, the filmmaker of the HBO documentary series "Q: Into the Storm," who was "at the U.S Capitol on January 6 with cameras." Hoback was the one to suggest they bring Ray's script to McKay and fellow producer Todd Schulman at Hyperobject Industries. McKay said of the project, "Billy has written a screenplay that is not only harrowing and terrifying but is sure to become the definitive cinematic document on that gut wrenching day."