Aaron Sorkin is one of the most in-demand writers in Hollywood but even he has his occasional set backs.
One of those set backs was the cancelation of The Trial of the Chicago 7, a movie he wrote and was set to direct for Amblin. The movie would be about the arrest and trial of anti-war activists who were accessed of inciting violence at the infamous 1968 Democratic National Convention. The movie was set to star Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen and Jonathan Majors. It was a stacked cast, it had a big-name writer/director attached, it sounded like an awards contender. But Amblin said the budget was too high and the project was shelved.
Well, it’s back on its feet it seems. Paramount Pictures has acquired the movie with the original cast listed above and everything is set to move forward with production beginning soon. This will be welcome news for all Sorkin fans and welcome news for those interested in politics, American history and very smart people talking very quickly, presumably down long hallways.
The Trial of the Chicago 7 has been a project Sorkin has wanted to make for ages. He originally wrote the script back in 2007, at the height of his powers. It’s a damn — and surprising — shame that it’s taken so long to come to life. But it’s an appropriate time for the movie to be made. Sadly many of the subjects broached by the story (activism against the government, the court system being stacked against citizens, the rights of Americans to protest) are just as important today as they were back in the 1960s.
I just hope that this is more West Wing/The Social Network Sorkin and less The Newsroom Sorkin. Despite what others say, I think the man is almost always fantastic but he often strays into preaching territory and when he does it really hurts his projects. So let’s hope he’s not trying to teach us a lesson but rather tell us a story. Because the story of the Chicago 7 is one worth hearing.