‘All the President’s Men’ Returns: Robert Downey Jr., Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo Lead Live Reading of Political Classic

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Jul 20

Oscar winners and prestige TV powerhouses unite for a one-night-only reading of All the President’s Men, reimagining the political classic amid renewed threats to press freedom.

Nearly five decades after its original release, All the President’s Men is returning to the national stage—this time in the form of a live, one-night-only staged reading featuring some of today’s most acclaimed actors. Robert Downey Jr., Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Kenneth Lonergan, J. Smith-Cameron, and Ramy Youssef will headline the performance, with direction by Tony winner John Benjamin Hickey. The reading will take place on Monday, August 25, at the historic Guild Hall in East Hampton, New York.

Presented by The Center at West Park, a nonprofit arts and community organization based in Manhattan, the evening will benefit the organization’s mission to support cultural programming and community-driven storytelling. Tickets range from $1,000 to $10,000, with VIP packages including access to a post-show reception with the cast and creative team. Tickets officially go on sale July 23.

William Goldman’s Oscar-winning screenplay, adapted from the groundbreaking investigative journalism of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, will be brought to life once again—this time in a sharply polarized political climate where journalistic freedom is under renewed threat. The original 1976 film, directed by Alan J. Pakula and starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, chronicled the dogged reporting that exposed the Watergate scandal and led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. In 2025, as government overreach and media distrust rise, the story’s resonance has arguably never been stronger.

This new rendition arrives during a moment of cultural unease and renewed scrutiny of the press, especially following President Donald Trump’s reelection and his administration’s renewed attacks on major news organizations. The performance aims to re-contextualize All the President’s Men for a generation confronting similar anxieties about truth, power, and the preservation of democracy.

The event is expected to be both a celebration of enduring journalistic values and a reflection on what it means to report truthfully in a fractured media environment. Audiences will not only experience a reading of Goldman’s script, but also a post-performance Q&A with the cast, exploring the political and artistic relevance of the material today.

This isn’t the first time All the President’s Men has been re-staged to address contemporary tensions. In 2018, former cast members of The West Wing—including Bradley Whitford and Richard Schiff—performed a reading at Los Angeles City Hall as a symbolic gesture during the Trump presidency. But the 2025 staging arrives in an even more precarious political moment, and with a more high-profile ensemble.

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The film remains a touchstone for politically conscious storytelling in American cinema. Its influence on pop culture and public perception of the press is far-reaching. As The West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin noted in 2010, All the President’s Men was the first movie to make “journalists be rock stars.” That energy will be rekindled on stage this summer with a new urgency and renewed sense of purpose.

With a cast featuring Oscar winners and prestige television icons, the reading promises to be not only an electrifying evening of performance but also a powerful reminder of how much truth still matters—both on screen and in the real world. At a time when free expression and factual integrity are at risk, this revival offers more than nostalgia. It’s a call to vigilance.