According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sean McNamara (Soul Surfer) has been tapped to direct Reagan, an upcoming $25 million indie biopic of President Ronald Reagan. Producer Mark Joseph (The Vessel, Max Rose) said, ““we looked long and hard for the right director who understood the material and had a vision for the film.” Ralph Winter is executive producing.

Written by Howie Klausner (Space Cowboys), the film tells the life story of Reagan from the angle of a KGB agent who was assigned to follow him during the early days of the Cold War. At that time, Regan was head of the Screen Actors Guild and was staunchly anti-Communist.

The young Reagan, from teens to his 20’s, will be played by David Henrie (Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place), beginning with being a lifeguard, then college football star and radio announcer before moving to Hollywood. Who will play Reagan in his presidential years has not yet been decided. Robert Davi (Goonies) is on board for the role of Leonid Brezhnev, leader of the Soviet Union from 1964 to 1982.

Of note, McNamara’s first job at 18 was providing sound for Reagan’s inauguration ceremony in 1981. The director said, “I literally stood 10 feet from Reagan on Inauguration Day as he addressed supporters in one of the ballroom. He’s a fascinating character and I’m looking forward to getting his story right.”

Reagan will begin shooting early next year.