Paul Dano has signed on to play a young Karl Rove in director Richard Linklater's College Republicans, filling the role that Shia LaBeouf was eyeing, reports The Wrap.

Richard Linklater will direct from a script by Wes Jones.

As a senior adviser to George W. Bush, Karl Rove is considered "the architect" of the President's election and political dirty tricks, including involvement in the Valerie Plame affair.

Producer Maya Browne said:

"[The film] is about when Karl Rove and Lee Atwater first met, which is when Karl Rove ran for president of the College Republicans, and that's when they sort of discovered dirty tricks. It's interesting to see them take that journey together."

Production begins in late November in Austin, Texas.