Despite having faced a potential shut down in the past, Aaron Sorkin‘s The Trial Of The Chicago 7 is now moving full steam ahead. Michael Keaton has joined an already stacked cast, and the film now has a release date.
Keaton will play real-life progressive lawyer Ramsey Clark, a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement of the mid-20th century. He joins a cast that already includes Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, William Hurt, Jonathan Majors, and Mark Rylance.
The film itself will follow the infamous 1969 trial of seven defendants charged by the federal government with conspiracy and more, which arose from protests in Chicago at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The trial would then transfix a nation and open up questions about mayhem intended to undermine the U.S. government.
Sorkin has penned the film, and originally envisioned it for Steven Spielberg. But Spielberg turned it down, and having found moderate success with his directorial debut Molly’s Game, Sorkin decided to helm the film himself. Budget concerns meant the film stalled last year, and it felt close to cancellation, until Paramount Pictures stepped in to back the project.
The film now has a concrete release date as proof of its revival. It will get a limited release on September 25, 2020 before opening wide on October 2, 2020. Considering the timing of the release, expect a major awards push. Filming will reportedly take place in Chicago and New Jersey.
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