Netflix just released the trailer of Aaron Sorkin’s latest project and second directorial effort. Based on true events, The Trial of the Chicago 7 is about the trial of the activists who organized the protest of the 1968 Democratic National Convention which escalated into a deadly confrontation between peaceful anti-war protestors and government law-enforcement.
With a script penned by Sorkin (The Social Network), Eddie Redmayne plays activist Tom Hayden who was a key figure in the protest along with other activists Abbie Hoffman played by Sacha Baron Cohen, Jerry Rubin played by Jeremy Strong, and Black Panther Bobby Seale played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Richard Schultz, the prosecutor in the trial.
Netflix bought the rights to the film during the pandemic from Paramount. Now stirring Oscar buzz for Netflix’s first contender of the season, The Trial of the Chicago 7 cast seems to be in the running for the award show’s main categories: Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. The trailer promises Sorkin’s usual witty, fast-paced dialogue also drawing on the current political movement tying into the political climate of ‘68.
You can see The Trial of the Chicago 7 in select theatres or on Netflix on October 16.