Fan Fare

The tale of John Edwards’  personal and political downfall will be coming to a movie theater near you.

But who will play the disgraced politician?

Aaron Sorkin, best known for penning the hit White House drama series “The West Wing” has bought the rights to the book penned by Andrew Young — the former aide to the Democratic presidential hopeful throughout his affair with Rielle Hunter.

Sorkin described  Young’s  book “The Politician: An Insider’s Account of John Edwards’ Pursuit of the Presidency and the Scandal That Brought Him Down” as a “first-hand account of an extraordinary story filled with motivations, decisions and consequences that would have lit Shakespeare up.”

The entertainment and political world is already agog with speculation on who will land the role of the former golden boy of Democratic politics.

Tom Cruise, who bears a resemblance to Edwards,  Dennis Quaid, George Clooney and British actor Michael Sheen are among the early front-runners in the eyes of the celebrity media.

But it is Cruise — also a one-time golden boy whose image has slipped in the past few years — who is emerging as the favorite.  Cruise is seen as having the charm, the smile and the acting skills to pull off  the role.

Question is, does he still have the box-office clout? Or is the Edwards scandal, with all its deceptions, enough to get audiences into movie theaters whoever plays the anti-hero?