Netflix Releases Powerful Teaser for "The Trial of The Chicago 7"

Another week, another trailer for a promising awards contender from Netflix.

Netlfix has unleashed a first look teaser for Aaron Sorkin’s timely and star-studded drama The Trial of the Chicago 7. The Oscar-winning scribe penned and directed this true story and assembled an amazing cast including Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Jeremy Strong, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and many others.

Set during the height of the civil rights and anti-war movement of the 60s, the film is centered on the trials of seven men who in 1968 organized a peaceful protest at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago that turned violent. Charged with conspiracy to start a riot, they found themselves on trial for nearly five months.

The themes of the film and its topicality make it seem like the perfect film to release during this tumultuous time where protests against racial discrimination and police brutality have sadly become common place. Sorkin is known for his sharp writing and ability to handle relatable political themes in his projects and this seems tailor made to his strengths. But the road to the screen for The Chicago 7 was a very long one.

Having written the screenplay back in 2007, Sorkin has been trying to get it off the ground for years as Steven Spielberg was attached to direct in the early stages but the writers strike of that year forced the legendary filmmaker to step down. Paul Greengrass was also considered at one point but dropped out due to budget concerns before Sorkin tweaked the script and decided to direct himself having made his helming debut in 2017 with Molly’s Game.

Paramount was the original distributor for the film and was planning to release the film to theaters this fall but thank to Covid-19, the studio decided to accept a payday and let Netflix take it off them for around $50 million. This gives the streamer another potential awards contender alongside David Fincher’s Mank, Ron Howard’s Hillbilly Elegy and Ryan Murphy’s The Prom to name a few.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 will hit select open theaters at the end of September and then hit Netflix on October 16. Check out the trailer below.