Aaron Sorkin's Star-Studded 'Trial of the Chicago 7' on Track Again with Paramount Distributing
Budgetary problems stopped progress for "The Trial of the Chicago 7," but new developments have apparently righted the ship.
Paramount is now the U.S. distributor of the upcoming Aaron Sorkin film, while Cross Creek has joined Amblin Pictures in co-financing and producing, Deadline reports. With these players involved, production is expected to be able to begin in October. Amblin previously had to pull the plug during pre-production, per The Hollywood Reporter.
The film had already set multiple big-name stars, including Sacha Baron Cohen ("Hugo"), Eddie Redmayne (the Fantastic Beasts series), Joseph Gordon-Levitt ("Snowden"), Jonathan Majors ("The Last Black Man in San Francisco"), and Alex Sharp ("The Hustle"). Now, Mark Rylance ("Ready Player One") and Frank Langella ("Captain Fantastic") have joined. Even more roles have yet to be cast.
The Sorkin-penned screenplay centers on the 1969 trial of a group of anti-war activists. The U.S. government accused them of several crimes, including conspiracy and inciting to riot, after they held protests during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The five previously cast actors will play activists on trial, while Langella will play U.S. District Court Judge Julius Hoffman and Rylance will portray William Kuntsler, the activists' defense lawyer.
"The Trial of the Chicago 7" will be produced by Marc Platt, Stuart Besser, Matt Jackson, and Cross Creek's Tyler Thompson. ShivHans Pictures' Shivani Rawat will serve as executive producer. Here's hoping there are no more stumbling blocks.
