Seth Rogen, who stays about half as busy as The Rock (which is still, like, 20 times busier than you’ll ever be), is stepping behind the news desk for his next gig. In what could be a surprising dramatic turn for Rogen the actor, he’s signed on to play the late Walter Cronkite for director David Gordon Green’s Newsflash — which chronicles the evening news host’s coverage of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.

It’s not the first time Seth Rogen has gotten serious for a role, but it could wind up being the first time the multi-hyphenate has given a performance worthy of awards season buzz. We’ll have to wait and see, as Deadline reports that Rogen will portray the iconic newsman for Newsflash, which explores how Cronkite became the most trusted name in news following his coverage of JFK’s assassination on November 22, 1963. Although Cronkite and CBS were not the first to break the harrowing news to the nation, Cronkite’s coverage of the event made him an icon.

Ben Jacoby wrote the screenplay for the film, which will be Green’s next project after Halloween. Newsflash will center on Cronkite and his team on that infamous day, including producer Don Hewitt, their boss Jim Aubrey, and Dan Rather — the latter of whom was a young, determined reporter who was on the ground in Dallas and among the first group to report on the assassination. Green is reportedly looking to assemble a great ensemble that might include Mark Ruffalo as Hewitt and Bryan Cranston as Aubrey, though Rogen is the only done deal as of now.

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