Momentum on Aaron Sorkin‘s sophomore directorial effort, The Trial of the Chicago 7, is picking up speed as a release date is set and a new face joins the already wildly packed and stacked cast. The long-simmering project of Sorkin’s originally written for Steven Spielberg stalled out last year just before filming began due to budgetary concerns from previous backer Amblin Partners. Now, the Paramount Pictures-backed Trial of the Chicago 7‘s production plans are firming up.

It was announced on Friday that The Trial of the Chicago 7 would get a limited release on September 25, 2020 before opening wide on October 2, 2020, per Boxoffice Pro on Twitter. It’s still too early to tell if The Trial of the Chicago 7 will make its world premiere at any major festivals but given the timing of the limited release and its pedigree, there’s a chance the pic could appear on the respective schedules for the 2020 Venice Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, and/or Toronto International Film Festival.

The Hollywood Reporter also announced on Friday that Michael Keaton had been added to the cast. Keaton will play real-life progressive lawyer Ramsey Clark, a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement of the mid-20th century. The Trial of the Chicago 7 is based on the actual 1969 trial of the seven defendants charged with conspiracy against the federal government in the wake of the Chicago protests following the 1968  Democratic National Convention. THR notes in their report filming will take place in Chicago and New Jersey.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 pic has brought together a deep bench of talent to bring the story to life. Keaton joins already-confirmed cast members Sacha Baron Coen, Eddie Redmayne, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, William Hurt, Mark Rylance, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jeremy Strong, and Frank Langella.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 hits theaters on October 2, 2020.

via Collider