Some projects generate a lot of heat in development and then go mysteriously quiet. But The Trial Of The Chicago 7, which was once in Steven Spielberg’s sights, is now back and Paul Greengrass is in talks to take it on instead.
The drama, which boasts a script by Aaron Sorkin, is based on the true story of the infamous 1969 federal conspiracy trial arising out of the violent rioting at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago that transfixed the US.
Sorkin began developing the idea back in 2007 with Spielberg, who flirted with directing before shoving it to the back burner to focus on Tintin and Lincoln. Both Ben Stiller and Greengrass himself were touted as potential replacements (while it would have been an interesting shift for Stiller, it definitely feels more like a Greengrass film), but neither locked in a deal and everything went quiet.
Now DreamWorks, which inherited the project after it split from Paramount, wants it back up and running at last, and aims to have production moving by January. Greengrass hasn’t yet formally signed on to make it, but if he does, expect a flurry of casting stories to follow.
Greengrass’ latest, true-life Somali pirate drama** Captain Phillips**, is due out in the UK on October 18.