Bob Dylan has recorded music for new Ronald Reagan biopic starring Dennis Quaid

20 August 2024, 12:36

It's been confirmed that Bob Dylan will feature on the soundtrack to the upcoming biopic about Ronald Reagan.

The biopic about the former Hollywood actor-turned-President of the United States of America has been in the works since 2020.

Titled Reagan, it'll star legendary actor Dennis Quaid as the titular Ronald Reagan, and is currently set for US release this August though no UK date has been set.

An all-star cast of musicians have all contributed songs for the soundtrack too, including Bob Dylan.

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For the biopic, Dylan has recorded a cover version of Cole Porte's 1934 song 'Don't Fence Me In', a song that Gene Autry later popularised in the forties, which Quaid is a third cousin to.

It's been confirmed that Dylan's cover will feature during the film's closing credits, with the likes of KISS bassist Gene Simmons taking on the standard 'Stormy Weather' and Clint Black singing John Denver's classic 'Take Me Home, Country Roads' for the movie.

Reagan will also star high-profile vocal conservative actors such as Jon Voight, Kevin Sorbo, and Nick Searcy - take a look at the trailer below:

REAGAN Movie Official Trailer (2024) - In Theaters August 30

In a statement with Spin magazine, Quaid revealed Dylan's attachment to the biopic saying: "I was honoured to have Bob join our film."

"We gave him the freedom to do any song he wanted to do, whether an original or a cover, and he chose ‘Don’t Fence Me In.’ That was extra special since it was a song that Gene made famous."

"Bob is a great lover of the American Songbook and we were delighted with the way he delivered the song. He’s a national treasure and was the perfect addition to the film," Quaid added.

Many have already questioned Dylan's involvement with the biopic, given Reagan's right-leaning political ideology.

However, during an interview with Rolling Stone magazine during Reagan's tenure at POTUS, Dylan claimed he wasn't motivated by political ideology.

"I think politics is an instrument of the Devil. Just that clear. I think politics is what kills; it doesn’t bring anything alive. Politics is corrupt; I mean, anybody knows that," Dylan said at the time.

"How long is Reagan gonna be president? I’ve seen like four or five of ’em myself, you know? And I’ve seen two of ’em die in office."

"How can you deal with Reagan and get so serious about that, when the man isn’t even gonna be there when you get your thing together?"

Bob Dylan will also be the focus of another biopic in the coming months with A Complete Unknown, starring Timothée Chalamet as the imitable singer-songwriter.

It'll chart the rise of Dylan as a folk singer, his transition to the electric guitar in the sixties, and his journey to becoming a cultural icon.

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN | Official Teaser | Searchlight Pictures

Elsewhere, Dennis Quaid has complained about social media platform Facebook trying to censor adverts for his upcoming Ronald Reagan biopic.

"Facebook is once again censoring the free flow of ideas, deciding what's best for us to see and hear; only this time it's throttling advertising and promotion for my movie about Ronald Reagan," the actor told Newsweek.

"Like the old Soviet Union—are we turning into a country of tech oligarchs who control the platform of groupthink to silence the individual or 'other' groups?"

Quaid wrote that the film was not able to be promoted because it "mentions politicians or is about sensitive issues that could influence public opinion, how people vote and may impact the outcome of an election or pending legislation."

"My challenge to Facebook is to ask if any of these tactics were used against other recent presidential biopics like Lincoln, LBJ, or Southside with You, a film about President Barack Obama, which was also released during an election year," he added.

The letter also said that their posts were actually allowed, just not boosted via paid advertising.