We all know Aaron Sorkin loves a courtroom drama, so his upcoming movie The Trial Of The Chicago 7 seems like an ideal Sorkin project—so much so, that he’s both writing and directing the large ensemble film. Collider announces today that the latest adds to the rapidly growing cast are Silicon Valley’s Thomas Middleditch and Glee alum Max Adler.
Chicago 7 is based on the true story of a number of young counterculture radicals who were arrested after the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago on charges of conspiracy and inciting to riot. The subsequent lengthy trial—full of courtroom fireworks and dramatics—captivated a divided nation. Already cast as the real-life defendants are Succession’s Jeremy Strong as Jerry Rubin, Sacha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman, Eddie Redmayne as Rennie Davis, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Panther co-founder Bobby Seale, whose trial was eventually dropped, changing the Chicago 8 to the Chicago 7. Collider doesn’t say which parts the two new cast members will play, but it looks like the role of David Dellinger is the only member of the Chicago 7 who hasn’t been cast yet. Not that there aren’t plenty of other roles to fill: for example, Joseph Gordon-Levitt will play prosector Ramsey Schultz, and also recently cast Michael Keaton will play Ramsey Clark, attorney general under Lyndon B. Johnson.
A previous dramatized version of the trial, Conspiracy: The Trial Of The Chicago 8, was broadcast on HBO in 1987. While that production was based almost entirely on court transcripts, we’ll be surprised if Sorkin doesn’t add some of his typical embellishments to the dialogue. We’ll find out Sorkin’s take on the event when the film comes out next year; Collider says “Paramount will give the film a limited release on Sept. 25, 2020 before expanding into more theaters the following weekend.”