LOS ANGELES  - Julianne Moore will play former Alaska governor Sarah Palin in "Game Change," an HBO movie about John McCain's unsuccessful presidential campaign.

Based on the bestselling book of the same name by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, the film will center on McCain's selection of Palin as his running mate and their defeat in the 2008 election by Barack Obama.

Jay Roach will direct from a script by Danny Strong. They previously worked together on HBO's 2008 political movie "Recount," which followed the nail-biting conclusion to the 2000 presidential race.