Aaron Sorkin's Trial of the Chicago 7 drops first look at '60s-set Netflix film

With Aaron Sorkin's next directorial effort now at a new home, Netflix has unveiled a first look at the new drama by way of a batch of photos.

Sorkin, who previously penned and helmed Molly's Game for star Jessica Chastain, now takes us to the 1960s. At the Democratic National Convention in '68, an anti-Vietnam War protest exploded into chaos when Chicago police officers and National Guard troops, wielding batons and pepper spray, descended upon the otherwise peaceful demonstrators. A year later, seven individuals, dubbed the Chicago 7, were charged by the federal government under the Richard Nixon administration with multiple crimes, including conspiracy and inciting a riot.

Revealed in the imagery from Sorkin's film are Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne, Oscar nominee Sacha Baron Cohen, Succession star Jeremy Strong, and The Americans' Danny Flaherty as four members of the Chicago 7: Tom Hayden, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, and John Froines, respectively.

Luce's Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Watchmen's Yahya Abdul-Mateen II also appear as members of the Black Panther Party, Fred Hamptom and Bobby Seale. Seale was the eighth defendant charged when the group were dubbed the Chicago 8, but after he protested in the courtroom when he wasn't allowed an attorney of his choice, he was bound and gagged and carted off for a later trial.

Bridge of Spies' Mark Rylance also features as attorney William Kuntsler, while J.C. Mackenzie and Joseph Gordon-Levitt portray prosecutors Thomas Foran and Richard Schultz.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 was originally set up at Paramount Pictures for a theatrical release, but in the age of coronavirus quarantines and closed cinemas, Netflix picked up distribution rights and will now release the film this Oct. 16.

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