‘The Butler’ Trailer: Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker Star in Lee Daniels Flick [HNGN]

[HNGN] Producer Lee Daniels is back with another film sure to rack up Oscar nominations. Daniels, best known for “Precious” and “The Paper Boy” has produced another movie “The Butler.”

The movie is adapted from a 2008 Washington Post article by Wil Haygood. It’s based on the real-life story of Eugene Allen, who spent over 30 years as a White House butler. He served eight presidential administrations through one of the most tumultuous times in American history.

The movie is told through the eyes Cecil Gaines, an African-American White house butler. It chronicles his young life working on the cotton fields to becoming a “pantry man” and eventually working his way up to the most prestigious rank of butlers, Maître d.

Gaines served as head butler through four decades of U.S. history, most notably the Civil Rights era and the conflict that caused it, including the assassination of Martin Luther king Jr., the Freedom Riders and the Black Power Movement.

The trailer has just been released and stars actors such as Oprah Winfrey- who plays Gloria, the butler’s wife, Cuba Gooding Jr., Lenny Kravitz, Terence Howard, Mariah Carey, Minka Kelly, Alex Pettyfer, Melissa Leo and Venessa Redgrave.

Presidents are played by John Cusack (Richard Nixon), Alan Rickman (Ronald Reagan), Jane Fonda (Nancy Reagan), Live Schreiber (Lydon B. Johnson), Robin Williams (Dwight D. Eisenhower), and James Marsden (John F. Kennedy).

“The Butler” is scheduled to hit theaters on Oct. 18.

Read more at hngn.com .