Eddie Redmayne Sought For Aaron Sorkin's 'Trial of the Chicago 7'
Hey, Eddie Redmayne, how's your American accent?
The Oscar winner (and finder of fantastic beasts) is in talks to play a key role in Aaron Sorkin's "The Trial of the Chicago 7," according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The film is based on the 1969 federal trial of seven activists who were charged with conspiracy stemming from the anti-Vietnam protests in Chicago at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
Redmayne would play Tom Hayden, the co-founder of the Students for a Democratic Society. (Doubtful this will make the movie, but Hayden's other pop culture caché is that he was married to Jane Fonda from 1973-199O and is the father of actor Troy Garity. He passed away in 2016.)
Steven Spielberg was once set to direct (based on Sorkin's script) over a decade ago, with hopes to cast Heath Ledger as Hayden, Sacha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman and possibly Will Smith as Bobby Seale. The 2007 WGA strike delayed filming and the project was suspended.
Several documentaries have already tackled the infamous trial, including Brett Morgen’s "Chicago 10: Speak Your Peace" and Jeremy Kagan’s "Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8."
[Via THR]