Charlize Theron to Portray Megyn Kelly in Upcoming Roger Ailes-Centered Project

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Charlize Theron and director Jay Roach are teaming to tell the tale of disgraced Fox News chairman Roger Ailes.

Theron will portray Megyn Kelly, a former lawyer who was a Fox News anchor for over a decade, rising up through the ranks from legal contributor to host of the popular series The Kelly File. Fox News reportedly tried to pressure her to come out in support of Ailes, but she refused. Theron will also produce the feature along with Beth Kono and AJ Dix via their Denver & Delilah banner. Roach, Randolph and Margaret Riley are also producing.

Ailes ran Fox News and helped launch the careers of Kelly, Sean HANNITY and Gretchen Carlson with his powerful channel. He also was also a prominent figure in Republican circles who helped elect presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George Bush.

Ailes was forced to resign in 2016 when a host of accusations of sexual misconduct surfaced, with Carlson and Kelly's the most high-profile, and which contributed to his exit from the network.

The project is described as an ensemble pic, with Ailes and others who were involved at Fox News during his reign said to be major players in the piece. Characters included are likely to be Carlson, former anchor Greta Van Susteren, media mogul Rupert Murdoch and fired host Bill O'Reilly.

Theron received critical acclaim for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster, for which she won the Academy Award, Silver Bear, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress, among other accolades, becoming the first South African to win an Academy Award in a major acting category. She received Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for her performance in the sexual harassment-themed drama North Country (2005), and a Golden Globe Award nomination for her performance in Jason Reitman's film Young Adult (2011). Theron moved into the field of producing in the late 2000s. She founded and owns the production company Denver and Delilah Productions. She has produced numerous films, many of which she had a starring role in, including The Burning Plain (2008) and Dark Places (2015). Theron became a U.S. citizen in 2007, while retaining her South African citizenship. In 2016, Time named her in the annual Time 100 most influential people list.

Photo Credit: RD / Bishop / Retna Digital

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