Inside New Sarah Palin Documentary Hitting Theaters This Summer

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Speculation Surrounds New Palin Film

Director of new documentary 'The Undefeated' sits down with Sean

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," June 10, 2011. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: There is a movie coming this summer that is not your typical Hollywood film.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE UNDEFEATED"/VICTORY FILM GROUP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Back in the fall of 2006, I was actually working against Sarah Palin. I didn't feel she could be governor. I didn't feel she was strong enough. I didn't feel she had the gravitas. I didn't feel she understood all of the issues. And thought there is no way she can take on this machine. Everybody knew -- I don't think she is the person to do it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sarah had the courage to try. She had taken on the system already. She was right and the public knew she was right. And had courage to take it on before that became evident I think that was what propelled her forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: "The Undefeated" chronicles Sarah Palin's time as governor of Alaska and her bursting on to the national stage after being picked as John McCain's running mate in 2008. Now it hits theaters July 15th and the movie's director Stephen Bannon joins us right now.

Steven, how are you? Good to see you. You even got Mark Levin in the movie, how do you that?

STEPHEN BANNON, "THE UNDEFEATED" DIRECTOR: First film ever because Mark Levin has a lot to say in context of Sarah Palin that's why it was great to have him.

HANNITY: You know, it's interesting. We talked about this earlier in the program. I mean, 24,000 e-mails released. You got 30 reporters, you know, multiple cameras.

You got, you know, The New York Times, Washington Post digging through these 24,000 pages. They never did this to Barack Obama. She goes on tour up the East Coast. Look at the crowds. You spent two years with her?

BANNON: I spent a year and a half observing her in the Tea Party Movement. We made this film in about nine months. So over two years really watching Governor Palin or seeing her in the whole movement of the Tea Party.

The reason she draws this kind of fire, she is an existential threat to the establishment at every level, whether it is Wasilla, whether it's Alaska, whether it's the Tea Party Movement. She is on the side of the people. She represents working-class, middle class values and that, the vested interests in our country are scared to death of her.

HANNITY: You know, and the other thing that I mentioned, she is a threat. They do fear her. There's a deep dislike for her almost unprecedented.

BANNON: It is a pathology. It is worst than a dislike.

HANNITY: It's a hatred.

BANNON: Our film is unrated.

HANNITY: I saw when you started the film, you have all these attacks. How long does that go on for?

BANNON: It goes for three minutes. The version that AMC -- ARC Entertainment and AMC -- it is going to be PG-13. I'm going back to two additions before that and add in all the stuff we have and have it for three minutes unrated version on DVD.

HANNITY: People need to see this.

BANNON: They need to see it. It is a pathology that this woman draws and the reason is because she is a threat to the establishment.

HANNITY: The other thing that really stands out to me and I've gotten to know Governor Palin, she has courage. She's got a lot of guts. And the other thing is she does things on her terms.

Twitter, Facebook and -- you know what, she is like I'm not giving Katie Couric another interview. Who else is saying this? Other Republicans I think that think somehow if they are nice to the media, they are going to be nice to them. She like they will always hate me. They will all hate them.

BANNON: But one of the reasons I want to make the film is that I went to Harvard Business School and worked for Goldman Sachs. And I kept hearing this woman mocked. I was watching her and the Tea Party Movement.

She is a smart and tough and courageous as anybody I've had pleasure to work with or anybody I've been around. I mean, this is a very smart one, very unconventional, does it by her own rules and that's what the film shows.

By the way, this clip we just had, Meg Stapleton who became one of her closest advisers -- Meg worked against her when she first ran -- Governor Palin has always been underestimated. They don't think she has the gravitas. They don't think she knows the issues. They don't think she can match up with her opponents.

HANNITY: Does that mean -- well, first of all, do you have any inclination? Because I'm trying to read this, I've probed e-mails. Maybe they will show up in the 24,000. Governor, you think you are going to run? I don't get an answer. Everything she says to me on air, she says off. After studying her and putting this film together, do you think she's going to run?

BANNON: Here's what I think is important. That's why I have Andrew Breitbart and Mark Levin and Tammy Bruce in the end of the film to pull the camera back and set Governor Palin in context to where we are today.

I think it is incredibly important to have a primary like the 1976 President Reagan versus the establishment. We need to have a fight in the Republican Party for the soul of the conservative movement.

HANNITY: I agree with you.

BANNON: Soul of the conservative movement. Only -- Governor Palin will come to that conclusion. I think through prayer and consultation with her family. But if she is not in it as a candidate, we need her spirit it in it. We need to have in fight now.

HANNITY: If the Republican Party doesn't get tough enough and stand on the Tea Party conservative values, it will cease to exist in the party because the Tea Party will break off.

BANNON: It's the moral equivalent of the Wigs before the Civil War. That is a party that has now gotten away from its roots and needs to have those rejuvenated. We need this primary to do that.

HANNITY: If she does run and wins the primary, I say she beats Barack Obama. And there's very few people --

BANNON: If she does run and wins the primary, it will be a title match like Frazier-Ali.

HANNITY: To quote a phrase she will be misunderestimated. Seriously, I think she will be underestimated.

BANNO: I think it's one of the benefits. I think she likes being underestimated.

HANNITY: Are you sure you went to Harvard Business School? You are too normal to have gone to Harvard Business school. I'm not --

BANNON: I was a naval officer first so my normalcy came from the naval officer.

HANNITY: OK, were you normal before you went there and strong enough mentally that you wouldn't cave-in. This will be out --

BANNON: July 15th. It's very unusual for a documentary to be in theaters in the summer. We've got AMC Theater --

HANNITY: How many theaters around the country?

BANNON: Well, we're going to start in 10 markets. If they are committed to put this in a thousand theaters if we can generate the interest in it --

HANNITY: We'll be reminding people as we get closer. Congratulations. I go to see the film. Thank you. It is awesome. I would recommend everyone to see it.

BANNON: Thanks, Sean.

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