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Julianne Moore Is… Sarah Palin! Cast the Rest of HBO's Game Change

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Take this picture, subtract freckles, add red outfit and/or gun. / HBO

HBO announced today that it has signed Julianne Moore to play then-Alaska-governor Sarah Palin in its coming movie Game Change, a behind the scenes account of the 2008 election that dishes dirt on Republican and Democratic campaigns.* (The film is being directed by Jay Roach, who helmed HBO’s Recount, about the 2000 election’s aftermath.) Should Palin be a candidate for president by the time the film comes out—or, well, even if she isn’t—the movie is likely to be politically scrutinized.

Another burning question: is Moore’s Alaska accent better than the Boston Southie one she put on for 30 Rock? Speaking of which, might she pick up some coaching from Palin-impersonation veteran and 30 Rock producer Tina Fey? And who will fill out the rest of the cast, whose lead characters will presumably (if it hews to the book) include John McCain, Barack Obama, Hillary (and presumably Bill) Clinton and John (and presumably Elizabeth) Edwards?

I welcome your nominations in the comments. But let me kick things off with one of my own. Long before this project was ever announced, I had thought there were certain striking similarities between McCain and Michael Hogan, in his gruff, cranky, salty, battle-scarred portrayal of Col. Tigh on Battlestar Galactica:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isB-3YDj4yc]

It’s a no-brainer, right? Fill out the cast, won’t you? Warning: I believe Fred Armisen is previously committed.

*(Disclosures: The movie is based on the book of the same name by New York magazine’s John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, my colleague at TIME magazine. HBO, like TIME, is owned by Time Warner. Uh, and I voted for Barack Obama. I think that’s all I have for now.)