Moviegoers largely, er,
shrugged at the first two installments of "Atlas Shrugged," the
ongoing three-part film adaptation of Ayn Rand's 1957 novel. Though the book
has found a passionate readership, particularly among political conservatives
and libertarians, the first two movies combined for just under $8 million at
the box office in 2011 and 2012.
In an effort to
drum up some buzz for the trilogy's conclusion in the upcoming "Atlas
Shrugged Part III: Who Is John Galt?," the filmmakers have enlisted an
array of prominent conservatives to appear in the movie, including former
congressman and possible presidential candidate Ron Paul.
In a video posted to the film's YouTube page,
Paul talks about what inspired him to join the project. "'Atlas Shrugged'
has been a fantastic novel, a fantastic book, but it's much more than a story,
of course," he says. "It made me stop and think and assess all my
beliefs and principles."
Paul will portray a TV commentator
covering the aftermath of a speech by the titular John Galt (Kris Polaha), and
he'll be joined by real-life media pundits Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity,
according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Producer Harmon Kaslow quipped to THR, "We put out a
casting call and those are the only guys who showed up. It could be the subject
matter."
Although "Part III" will mark Paul's acting debut, it
won't be the first time he's appeared on the big screen: He was infamously
prank-interviewed by a disguised Sacha Baron Cohen in the 2009 comedy
"Bruno."
As with the first two
"Atlas Shrugged" movies, which opened on Tax Day in 2011 and a month
before the presidential election in 2012, "Part III" will be timed to
make a political statement. The film hits theaters Sept. 12, about seven weeks
before midterm elections.
