Aaron Sorkin reveals his idea for a West Wing revival — and it wouldn't involve Trump

At the Television Critics Association’ press tour this summer, NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt told reporters he has repeatedly spoken Aaron Sorkin about reviving The West Wing; however, each time Sorkin said no. Well, Sorkin has finally revealed why he’s been reluctant to revisit his influential political drama — and what it would likely be about if he did.

In The Hollywood Reporter‘s latest cover story, Sorkin said a West Wing revival would involve “Sterling K. Brown as the president, and there’s some kind of jam, an emergency, a very delicate situation involving the threat of war or something, and [President] Bartlett [played by Martin Sheen], long since retired, is consulted in the way that Bill Clinton used to consult with Nixon.”

Unfortunately, Sorkin hasn’t been able to make it beyond that point because he hasn’t cracked how the rest of the original cast members like Bradley Whitford and Allison Janney figure into the action. That being said, he already knows one person who definitely won’t make the cut: President Trump, or a character based on him. “Trump is exactly what he looks like: a really dumb guy with an observable psychiatric disorder,” Sorkin told THR.

If Sorkin’s ideal revival ever moved forward, we know Brown is definitely interested in playing the president. “#Aaron Sorkin if you are serious, sir, I would be honored!” tweeted Brown Wednesday afternoon.

Obviously, this isn’t the first time there has been talk of resurrecting The West Wing, which aired on NBC from 1999 to 2006. In August, Richard Schiff, who played White House communications director Toby Ziegler, shared his thoughts on what a revival could like, and it differs slightly from the one Sorkin’s. “I don’t think a West Wing reboot in the White House makes any kind of sense right now,” said Schiff, who is willing to reprise his role, in an interview with Larry King.

In addition to discussing The West Wing, Sorkin also told THR that he needs to delay NBC’s upcoming live staging of his play A Few Good Men, which was scheduled for spring 2018 and stars Alec Baldwin, because he’s encountered some trouble with casting and figuring out to make the play feel relevant to today’s world.

Read the rest of THR‘s story here.

Sorkin’s directorial debut Molly’s Game — starring Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba — hits theatres on Christmas.