The historic 1986 meeting between U.S. president Ronald Reagan and Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev, seen as the catalyst for bringing the Cold War to a close, is being given a dark, satirical feature-length twist thanks to Emmy-winning Veep writer Ian Martin
Also known for his award-winning writing alongside Armando Iannucci on The Thick of It (for which he was originally hired as “swearing consultant”), In The Loop, The Death of Stalin and Avenue 5, Martin has been tapped by Circle Pictures (The Man in the High Castle) to write the screenplay for Tear Down This Wall.
Inspired by An Impossible Dream: Reagan, Gorbachev, and a World Without the Bomb by author Guillaume Serina and developed by Circle Pictures president Stewart Mackinnon, the comedy drama will track the historic events before and after the now famous Summit at Reykjavik, which many historians view as the seminal moment that jump-started the end of the Cold War.
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Even more importantly, it will provide an in-depth look at the bond that was created between two men diametrically opposed politically, but with a common goal to rid the world of nuclear threat.
“This story will follow a long history of political satire by telling the story of two men driven by clever women, pretending to be in control as the world around them cracked and crumbled,” said Martin. “It will reveal the absurdity of high-level diplomacy, showing real people stripped to their emotional, ridiculous human core as they maneuver behind the scenes, each side desperate to seem morally superior to the other. It will humanize ‘Gorby and Ronnie,’ brought together by fate, unable ever to be friends but understanding one another completely.”
Joining the project as executive producer will be Jere Sullivan, a senior public relations advisor for communications giant Edelman. He will serve as communications and political advisor on the project.
