New movie from The Social Network's Aaron Sorkin could become Netflix exclusive

The filmmaker rose to prominence as creator of political drama The West Wing and has since written several acclaimed biographical movies including The Social Network, Steve Jobs and Molly's Game, which he also directed.

Sorkin's upcoming project, which finished filming long before the coronavirus pandemic, is titled The Trial of the Chicago Seven and follows one of the most notorious trials in recent American history.

In 1968, seven anti-Vietnam War activists were charged with conspiracy and inciting to riot after a peaceful protest at that year's Democratic National Convention devolved into a clash with police and the national guard.

Sacha Baron Cohen (The Spy), Jeremy Strong (Succession), John Carroll Lynch (American Horror Story), Eddie Redmayne (Fantastic Beasts), Alex Sharp (The Hustle), Noah Robbins (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) and Daniel Flaherty (The Americans) will play the defendants in the case.

Sorkin has also assembled an impressive supporting cast that includes Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen) as activist Bobby Seale, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception) as prosecutor Richard Schultz and Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) as radical lawyer William Kunstler.

The Trial of the Chicago Seven had initially been intended for a cinema release in October, but Variety now reports that the film could skip straight to Netflix if a deal for the global rights can be reached.

This would add to the library of Sorkin films available on the streaming service, which currently hosts The Social Network, Moneyball, Steve Jobs and The American President.

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