Steven Spielberg is certainly a busy man. Currently in the midst of a lengthy post-production period for his sci-fi adaptation Ready Player One, the influential director has wasted little time getting his next project off the ground. With Spielberg’s Pentagon Papers film The Papers (previously titled The Post) ambitiously being fast-tracked for an awards-friendly 2017 release. The film has previously announced Academy Award winners Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep will be headlining the film. And if that pair wasn’t outstanding enough, the announcement of the supporting ensemble adds to the already incredible pool of talent.
As reported by Variety, the full cast has been confirmed to include Alison Brie, Carrie Coon, David Cross, Bruce Greenwood, Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, Jesse Plemons, Matthew Rhys, Michael Stuhlbarg, Bradley Whitford and Zach Woods. It appears Spielberg has been watching his fair share of television.
The Papers will recount the true story of the Pentagon Papers and the efforts made by The Washington Post to expose it to the public in 1971. Hanks will portray Post editor Ben Bradlee with Streep as publisher Kay Graham. The Pentagon Papers detailed concealed truths on both the Vietnam War and the Nixon administration and brought unprecedented insight into government activities. The film will showcase Bradlee and Graham’s plight to publish the documents against the wishes of the Federal Government. The screenplay has been penned by Liz Hannah and Josh Singer. One can begin to picture a highly Spielbergian rendition of Spotlight being what we’re in for.
With the immense talent involved in the project as well as the relevance given today’s political context, the determination by Spielberg to get this project up-and-running is more than clear. The Papers has all the hallmarks of an Oscar calibre product, and if it can make it’s intended December release it is bound to at least be in the conversation. Production began last week in New York, as the film is slated for a limited release on December 22nd before going wide on January 12th 2018 in the US.
No confirmation has been made on an Australian release date, but expect something in January 2018.
For more on the developments of The Papers, it will be reported here.
Photo Credit: Director Steven Spielberg on the set of Disney’s “The BFG,” based on the best-selling book by Roald Dahl. (Doane Gregory/2016 Storyteller Distribution Co. LLC)
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