HBO springs into political action

HBO has set launch dates for political projects "Game Change" and "Veep." The telepic "Game Change," in which Ed Harris plays Sen. John McCain and Julianne Moore takes on the role of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as the two campaign for the Republican ticket in the 2008 presidential race, will premiere March 10. "Veep," a half-hour comedy series in which Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays the vice president, is set to debut April 22. HBO will present both as part of its three-hour session Friday at the Television Critics Assn. press tour in Pasadena. Also to be showcased in front of scribes will be the pay cabler's new David Milch-Michael Mann horse racing series "Luck," which is the next new HBO series to premiere. Skein gets out of the gate Jan. 29. Net already ran a sneak preview of the pilot in December immediately following the season finale of "Boardwalk Empire." Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com