Will Ferrell turns down comedy about Reagan with Alzheimer’s

Actor Will Ferrell has decided not to play former U.S. President Ronald Reagan in a comedy based on the excommanderinchief’s Alzheimer’s disease and which in recent days has been harshly criticized by the Reagan family, The Hollywood Reporter said Friday.

The actor’s rep said Friday that the actor was never officially involved in the project.

“The ‘Reagan’ script is one of a number of scripts that had been submitted to Will Ferrell which he had considered. While it is by no means an ‘Alzheimer’s comedy’ as has been suggested, Mr. Ferrell is not pursuing this project,” the spokeperson said.

The controversy exploded Wednesday, when it was revealed that comedian Will Ferrell, known for his satirical scenes impersonating exPresident George W. Bush, was to play Ronald Reagan in a film with the working title “Reagan.”

The project is focused on Reagan’s second term in office, when he began to notice the first symptoms of his illness and an intern is given the job of convincing him that he is an actor playing the part of the president in a movie.

After hearing about the upcoming comedy, Reagan’s daughter Patti Davis slammed Ferrell on her blog for joking about someone with mental illness.

“Perhaps you have managed to retain some ignorance about Alzheimer’s and other versions of dementia. Perhaps if you knew more, you would not find the subject humorous,” she told the actor.

The expresident’s daughter said that “Alzheimer’s is the ultimate pirate, pillaging a person’s life and leaving an empty landscape behind.”

The expresident’s son Michael Reagan also blasted the proposed movie on Twitter: “#Alzheimers is not a comedy to the 5 million people who are suffering with the decease,it first robs you of your mind and then it kills you.”