Chris Pine has boarded Alfonso Gomez-Rejon‘s Newsflash, and will star in the film as Walter Cronkite. The film takes place on November 22nd, 1963, when Cronkite put everything on the line to get the story right as when President John F. Kennedy was killed, resulting in a frantic, frightened nation looking towards their TVs – and him – for guidance.
This would be a pivotal moment in broadcast news history, establishing Cronkite as the “most trusted man in America”. His voice would go on to narrate the space race, the Watergate scandal, the Iran hostage crisis, the Vietnam War, and the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and John Lennon in the homes of millions of Americans.
The film stems from Ben Jacoby‘s Black List script. Gomez-Rejon said in a statement: “Ben’s script beautifully captured what it felt like to be in the newsroom on that fateful day. I see it as an origin story about a hero born at a time when seeking the truth and uniting a country was more important than winning and ratings, which has never felt more prescient”.
Gomez-Rejon only just released a movie, The Current War, so this seems like a quick turnaround. However, that film was originally set for a 2017 release before it was shelved and sold by The Weinstein Company after the sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein. Gomez-Rejon then reshot some of the film and cut it down, finally leading to its release this year.
Prior to that, Gomez-Rejon helmed Me And Earl And The Dying Girl, which was a Sundance favourite. He’s also got a series titled Hunters in the works, which revolves around a new Nazi uprising in 1977 New York and those intent on stopping it. Al Pacino stars.
Pine as Cronkite sounds like half a joke when you first hear it. The two look nothing alike and Pine is younger than Cronkite was in 1963. But don’t count out the incredible advancements in technical effects that will probably have Pine looking indistinguishable from the legendary news caster when the film arrives. Thus, as long as he has the actual performance down pat, this should be fine.
Production on Newsflash will begin in February in New York City.
#Peace.Love.Newsflash
