Netflix has officially acquiredAaron Sorkin’sThe Trial of the Chicago 7, taking it off Paramount Pictures' hands for good. Sorkin’s sophomore directorial effort, following 2017’sMolly’s Game, includes a wildly stacked cast withEddie Redmayne,Sacha Baron Cohen,Jeremy Strong, andYahya Abdul-Mateen IIleading the way.
We learned ofNetflix’s interest in the high-profile political dramaback in June, although the deal hadn’t yet been finalized.Varietyconfirmed Netflix’s acquisition of the former Paramount pic on Wednesday. Netflix now has worldwide streaming rights toTrial of the Chicago 7from Cross Creek Pictures. In addition to the deal finally going through, it’s believed Netflix still has every intention of releasingTrial of the Chicago 7later in 2020. A late 2020 release would signal Netflix’s plans to make the Sorkin pic an awards season contender, thus boosting the streaming giant’s awards season cachet considering it’s already gotSpike Lee’sDa 5 Bloodsto submit, too.
Trial of the Chicago 7sees Sorkin moving back into his comfort zone of all things politcs-related. The feature, also penned by Sorkin (natch), retells the events around the trial of seven political activists were charged with conspiracy to incite a riot after the protest they organized at the 1968 Democratic National Convention spun wildly out of control. Famous ’60s figures includingAbbie Hoffman,Bobby Seale,Tom Hayden, andJerry Rubinwill be played by Baron Cohen, Abdul-Mateen II, Redmayne, and Strong, respectively. Additional cast includes:Alex SharpandJohn Carroll Lynchas defendantsRennie DavisandDavid Dellinger, respectively;Michael KeatonportraysRamsey Clark; andFrank Langellaas presiding judgeJuliusHoffman. No new details or images fromTrial of the Chicago 7have been released, but that may change now that it’s found a home at Netflix.
We’ll keep you posted onTrial of the Chicago 7, including the release date announcement. In the meantime, check out which movies we’ve pegged as thebest movies of 2020(so far).
