Aaron Sorkin’s ‘The Trial Of The Chicago 7’: Netflix Movie Sets Fall Release Date

Netflix has set an October 16 streaming date for Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, its $56M global pickup from Cross Creek, in what looks to be the first of its 2020-21 awards season contenders.

Paramount, which first had distribution rights to the movie, was eyeing a fall platform release, initially with a limited debut of September 25, then an expansion on October 9 and a full wide release of October 16 — hence Netflix’s drop date keeps with what was originally planned for theatrical prior to this year’s U.S. presidential election.

Cross Creek still is co-producing the film with Netflix.

Directed and scripted by Oscar and Emmy winner Sorkin, the pic follows protest organizers Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden and Bobby Seale at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, which went from a peaceful protest to a violent clash with police and the National Guard. The foursome were charged with conspiracy to incite a riot, and the trial that followed was one of the most notorious in U.S. history.

Due to exhibition’s shutdown during COVID-19, Paramount sold the feature to Netflix.

The cast includes Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sacha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, Frank Langella,John Carroll Lynch, Eddie Redmayne, Mark Rylance, Alex Sharp, Jeremy Strong, Noah Robbins, Danny Flahery, Ben Skenkman, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Caitlin Fitzgerald, Alice Kremelberg, John Doman, J.C. MacKenzie, Damien Young, Wayne Duvall, and C.J. Wilson.

As we previously reported, Cross Creek covered the previous financial commitments on the film. CAA Media Finance brokered the deal.

Marc Platt, Stuart Besser, Matt Jackson and Tyler Thompson are producers. Executive producers are Laurie MacDonald, Walter Parkes, Marc Butan, Anthony Katagas, James Rodenhouse, Shivani Rawat, Kristie Macosko Krieger, Maurice Fadida and Nia Vazirani.