Carey Mulligan Eyed to Play Hillary Clinton in Biopic (Exclusive)

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Carey Mulligan and Hillary Rodham Clinton

Though Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Chastain and Emma Stone have been rumored to be in the "Rodham" mix, the Brit actress has emerged as the top choice.

Carey Mulligan has emerged as the front-runner to play Hillary Rodham Clinton in Rodham, Temple Hill and The Arlook Group’s biopic of the former first lady, New York senator and secretary of state.

The Great Gatsby actress is the producers' top choice to play Clinton during the formative years of her storied career in public service, according to several sources. Several American actresses' names have been bandied about to take on the widely admired but often polarizing figure, including Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Chastain and Emma Stone. Ironically, the British actress, who was nominated for a best actress Oscar for her starring role in An Education, has never been mentioned.
Sources tell  that the actress will have a sit-down with director James Ponsoldt (The Spectacular Now), but sources say both sides are eager for it to work.

However, insiders close to the production caution that no decision has been made and that others actresses are still in the mix.
The indie drama portrays Rodham as a young lawyer on the committee involved in President Richard Nixon's impeachment, and her juggling a diverging career path with her unresolved feelings for future president Bill Clinton.
Young Il Kim wrote the script, which was on the 2012 Black List.
Richard Arlook is producing alongside Temple Hill's Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen.
UTA, which reps Kim and Ponsoldt, is handling domestic distribution rights.

Mulligan has emerged as one of the most in-demand among the twentysomething set, landing the iconic role of Daisy Buchanan in Gatsby. The role of a young Clinton is one of the most sought-after among Hollywood's under-40 set in recent years.
Mulligan, whose recent credits include Shame, Drive and Never Let Me Go, will next appear in the Coen brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis.
She is repped by CAA and Julian Belfrage & Associates in the U.K.