Last we heard, Steven Spielberg decided to put The Trial of the Chicago 7 on hold in order to tackle Tintin and his upcoming Lincoln biopic. Everyone assumed that the project had fallen into development hell, never to be seen from again. Nope - apparently the project is still in the works, and currently Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum, United 93) might now be attached to direct. Rejects found the juicy tidbit hidden within the pages of Production Weekly. At one point, Sacha Baron Cohen was in line to play Abbie Hoffman, and other names circling the project included Will Smith, Taye Diggs, Adam Arkin, Kevin Spacey and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Who knows how Greengrass’ take on the story will differ from Spielberg’s original plans. I’m guessing a lot, since both of filmmakers are very different in almost every single way. One thing we can probably count on - it is sure to involve a lot of Greengrass’ trademarked documentary-like shaky cam. Personally, I don’t really see the point of making this film. I think Brett Morgen’s 2007 documentary Chicago 10 (which actually had animated reenactments) pretty much said everything that needs to be said.

Something even more baffling about the project, Devin from CHUD just sent me an email to tell me that the film is actually a remake of the documentary, something I was previously unaware of.

Discuss: Is anyone excited for a Chicago 7 movie? What will Greengrass bring to the table?

  • Captain Awesome
    Fuck, he needs to lay off the deep-fried shoes. He's looking like Jack Black in Orange County.
  • Captain Awesome
    But Peter,

    You know how most directors are. They always think they can bring a new element to it with their own "vision" so no matter how good one film can tell a story like this. You will always have that one guy to take a stab at it because he sees it in hiw own head a certain way.

    This hobo needs to stop relying on shakey-cam to help progress his films. That shit is obnoxious. I'm sure it will have wicked camera shots and "actioney" Hollywood fluff.
  • Greengrass is only good when it comes to Jason Bourne.
  • @ Captain Awesome
    I agree, all of his films rely on heavy action and new camera angles.
    /Film needs a comment edit feature...
  • It's not like a ton of people saw that 07 doc, so I'm cool with the movie being made.

    The issue is with Greengrass, for me, is that he does the shaky cam stuff and it is so over the top. He should stick to action flicks, coming off the Bourne films.

    I really wish Spielberg would redeem himself from War Of The Worlds and Munich and make a more interesting movie, like this, with the cast it previously boasted, which included Jeff Daniels, which the /film guy failed to mention.
  • Greengrass would be great.
  • J.D.
    FAIL. No one wants to watch a hippie-filled, anti-war movie about rioting black panthers and hallucinating druggies.

    Of course, that doesn't stop the pill-popping leftist actors in hollywood from wanting to be in such a film; they're desperate for a purpose and by reliving a fictional account of '60s potheads they think they've done something for the world.

    So sad.
  • Captain Awesome
    J.D.,

    Just like no one wants to watch racist, mysogonistic, homophobic Marines invading countries backed by rock n' roll cliche soundtracks? or films of other historic atrocities?

    The politics for subject matter doesn't matter, just as long that it's done properly. People will watch it. I have a hard time believing you don't enjoy any sort of film coming out of "leftist, hippy, commie, pinko, liberal" Hollywood. Do you live in a bunker with posters of Gen. Patton and Toby Keith cd's?

    You sound like a caricature.
  • J.D.
    You're good a making up caricatures. I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. I'm a lawyer. I'm an artist. I hung out at a gay bar this weekend...!

    All I'm saying is that nearly EVERY anti-war film made over the past decade has failed miserably. I'm sure you know this.

    And OF COURSE I enjoy movies made by leftist potheads; but movies ABOUT leftist potheads just aren't doing all that well lately. :)
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