Long-developing, now active in a major way, Richard Jewell is likely Clint Eastwood’s next directorial project (and follow-up to absolute heater The Mule). What was once to star Jonah Hill and Leonardo DiCaprio falls to, in their respective roles, Paul Walter Hauser (BlackKklansman) and Sam Rockwell, while the original leads remain attached as producers. [THR]
Based on a 1997 Vanity Fair article by Marie Brenner (author of the source material for Michael Mann’s The Insider) and scripted by Billy Ray, it follows the public torment of Richard Jewell, a security guard working at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He was initially lauded as a hero for discovering three pipe bombs on the premises, but then vilified by the media for being a potential suspect, despite a lack of evidence; Jewell was eventually cleared of all charges.
Hauser will take the titular, eponymous, and lead role, while Rockwell is angling to portray Jewell’s attorney. Eastwood will direct at the behest of (good guess) Warner Bros., likely rolling cameras in five, four, three, two… or something close to that. Not even joking when I say this should be out in time for awards season, nor when it’s suggested this will be one of the few commendable films in that race.