The producer of the biographical film Reagan says John Hinckley Jr. recently revealed that he originally intended to shoot President Ronald Reagan as he arrived at the Washington Hilton in 1981 but hesitated after Reagan smiled and waved at him, delaying the assassination attempt until later that day.

Mark Joseph made the comments Friday during an appearance on Newsmax’s “Ed Henry: The Big Take,” where he discussed the upcoming theatrical release of an extended version of his 2024 film Reagan. The expanded edition is scheduled to return to approximately 600 theaters on Sept. 25.

Joseph said his years of research for the film included reviewing FBI and KGB documents and interviewing more than 50 people who worked closely with President Reagan. He said the revelation came during a recent podcast interview with Hinckley, who for decades had been prohibited from speaking with journalists or researchers.

“I had no idea he was planning to shoot Ronald Reagan upon arriving at the hotel that day, not on departing,” Joseph said, adding that Hinckley said Reagan “smiled and waved at him, and he just couldn’t bring the gun out in time because he was kind of disarmed by that charm.”

Hinckley ultimately carried out the attack after Reagan completed his speech before the AFL-CIO and exited the Washington Hilton. Reagan was struck by a bullet, while White House Press Secretary James Brady and two other individuals were also wounded. According to Joseph, Hinckley’s account suggests there had been an earlier opportunity to carry out the attack that was abandoned.

Joseph also discussed Soviet intelligence records concerning Reagan, saying the KGB maintained an extensive file on him dating back to his years as governor of California.

“The KGB files basically said that Reagan was superstitious, which is probably their code for religious, that he was a teetotaler — didn’t drink alcohol — and they considered him vain,” he said, adding that FBI agents interviewed the future president’s neighbors as part of a background inquiry related to Reagan and nuclear weapons.

According to Joseph, those neighbors described Reagan as a friendly individual who nevertheless held what they characterized as “extreme right-wing views.”

Joseph said there were two people he was unable to interview while producing the original film. One was former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who requested payment for an interview that Joseph declined to provide. The other was Hinckley, who at the time remained barred from speaking publicly with members of the media or researchers.

The extended edition of Reagan includes approximately 10 minutes of additional footage that was not part of the original release. New scenes feature Nancy Reagan in the Oval Office, additional material involving Reagan’s father, Jack, and footage filmed at the Reagans’ California ranch.

The wider theatrical release follows a limited run of special screenings over the July Fourth holiday held in conjunction with America’s 250th anniversary celebration.

Joseph also recounted one humorous scene restored for the expanded version, describing an incident in which Reagan became frustrated by birds stealing fish from a pond at the White House.

“This brought the Secret Service agents to converge and say, ‘Mr. President, we thought you were being shot at,'” Joseph said.

The original theatrical release of Reagan earned more than $30 million worldwide against a production budget of approximately $25 million, receiving sharply divided reviews from critics while drawing a much warmer response from moviegoers.