Last summer, representatives from Scott Free Productions went to Iceland to scout possible locals for a still-untitled film about the 1986 Reykjavik Summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. While many months have passed, The Hollywood Reporter has posted that Ridley Scott is still looking to make the feature film, which could even get released in early 2009. He says this even though the project is still in the script stage, which seems a bit optimistic, but apparently, it will only need a short shoot.

The 1986 summit brought together Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev to discuss arms control, but fell apart with no agreement (one did, however, come the next year, in 1987). Scott says: "These are fascinating historical characters, larger-than-life figures, but I want to show who they were and why they did what they did. Their actions helped shape history, paving the way for the end of the Cold War."

Now considering that, and how recognizable their images are, one would think that they'd be on the hunt for talented actors who can not only embody these men, but look like them. Surprisingly, Scott says that "resemblance is secondary. It's less about visible appearance, more about the acting." Sure, the talent is important, but I'm not sure how easy it would be to buy this film if we can't buy the actors in their roles. We're not talking about names that are much bigger than their images, but men from our recent past who are highly recognizable. A group of "entertainment and political veterans" have been brought together for the project, so we should hear more soon.

In my lifetime, I've seen a b-movie actor become President of the United States (Ronald Reagan) and The Terminator become Governor of California (Arnold Schwarzenegger), to name just two notable examples of people who've made the transition from the silver screen to politics. Going in the opposite direction, Fred Dalton Thompson is a a lawyer turned actor turned politician turned actor turned Presidential candidate. I'm sure there are dozens of other examples. To cite a new example: Variety is reporting that former Philippine president Joseph Estrada is planning a return to the big screen -- in a comedy, no less.

Before he became president, Estrada "was known to most Filipinos as a film star," according to BBC News. IMDb lists 158 films in his credits, starting in 1954 and continuing through 1989. Estrada entered politics in 1969 and was eventually elected president in 1998. Just two years later, the country's senate opened an impeachment trial, and he was ousted from office in a 2001 revolt. He was imprisoned during his years-long trial before finally being convicted in September 2007 and sentenced to life in prison. Six weeks later he was pardoned by his successor. Variety says that Estrada is reportedly negotiating to star opposite Ai Ai de las Alas, "Concert Comedy Queen" turned actress.

Many pundits have commented that actors and politicians have a lot in common. For example, both groups have to feel comfortable in front of a camera and make people believe what they're saying. (I hesitate to say that all politicians and actors are good liars, but you can draw your own conclusions.) At least Estrada says "he wants to make people laugh again." I'm laughing already.

In 1937, nine year old Moyer "Sonny" Bupp was the highest paid male child extra in Hollywood. That was the year he co-starred as a crippled boy in the well-known Three Stooges short Cash and Carry. The same year he appeared in minor roles in Frank Capra's Lost Horizon, Busby Berkeley's Hollywood Hotel and the movie debut of Ronald Reagan, Love Is on the Air, in which Bupp also sings "London Bridge is Falling Down" and shares the screen with his older brother Tommy.

A few years later, Sonny Bupp played his most famous character, Charles Foster Kane III, son of the title character of Citizen Kane. In 1943, he appeared in his final film, Eyes of the Underworld (aka Criminals of the Underworld), then according to his death notice in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, he served in the army during World War II -- although he must have been only 17 by war's end. His death notice says he went on to work as an automotive warehouse manager, while the IMDb claims he was an executive at Ford Motors. Either way, it is sad news that Bupp passed away November 1, in Henderson, Nevada, leaving behind no more known remaining survivors of Kane.

Bupp, along with brother Tommy and sisters June and Ann, became child actors when their family moved from New York City to California in the early years of the Depression with some intentions of getting the kids into showbiz (a fifth sibling, Paul, never ended up getting in). Sonny and Tommy had the greatest success, and in addition to Love Is on the Air, they both appeared in San Francisco with Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy, Swing Your Lady with Humphrey Bogart, When Tomorrow Comes with Irene Dunne and Kid Millions, which also featured Ann. Aside from his recognizable roles in Cash and Carry and Citizen Kane, Bupp may also be familiar for playing President Lincoln's terminally ill son Willie in 1940's Abe Lincoln in Illinois, as well as for a significant role in Three Faces West with John Wayne. He appears as an extra in other major films, including Sergeant York, San Francisco, The Devil and Daniel Webster and Angels with Dirty Faces. He was profiled in Tom and Jim Goldrup's book Growing Up on the Set: Interviews with 39 Former Child Actors of Classic Film and Television, in which he's quoted as saying, "I never liked being a child actor in films. In fact, I dreaded seeing [his agent] Mr. Olynick's car parked in front of our house, knowing it meant going on another interview for a movie part ... There is no camaraderie at all in motion pictures."

You can see his few moments as little Charlie Kane in this section of Citizen Kane:

Whenever I think about actors running for office, I think about Back to the Future, specifically Doc Brown's shocked response when Marty tells him that Ronald Reagan is President of the United States in 1985. "Then who's vice president?" asks Doc, "Jerry Lewis? I suppose Jane Wymann is the first lady. And Jack Benny is secretary of the Treasury." It's a little joke that is so perfect, I wouldn't be surprised if Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis revolved the entire script based on that one scenario of trying to explain to someone from the past that a B-movie actor has become the head of the nation.

Nowadays the idea of actors becoming politicians isn't as funny, because there have been so many in office. From the very famous Arnold Schwarzenegger to the lesser known Fred Thompson, they are/were mayors, governors, senators, diplomats, you name it. Apart from those who actually run and/or are elected, there are a number of celebrities with political interests that don't include holding office. Actors such as Warren Beatty, George Clooney and Sean Penn continually gain media attention for their activist campaigns and charity work, and are constantly asked about their desire to run in the future. Just yesterday, Clooney had to remind us that, we "don't want (him) in office," while appearing at an event for his Batman & Robin co-star, Schwarzenegger. Meanwhile, Sean Penn, who plays a politician in his latest film, All the King's Men, and who is controversially known for his liberal politics, recently stated that he also has no desire to run. Of course, this probably won't stop reporters from asking again in the future.

I wonder if the media obsession with politically minded celebrities will ever quit. Will it last until actors no longer hint at being interested? And did all this begin after Reagan took his seat as Governor of California? The thing is, stars of old would probably have made better officials than those of today. The difference is that reporters are now concerned with getting the most controversial scoop possible. But the scary part is the people would more than likely vote a celebrity into office than the best candidate, and for that reason, the star who knows his political limits, and stays within them, is doing the best possible service to his country.