Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7 heads to Netflix

The Trial of the Chicago 7 is changing its venue.

Netflix has closed a deal to acquire the Aaron Sorkin-directed drama from distributor Paramount. The film, which the West Wing creator also wrote, will debut on the streaming service this fall, and is likely to be a major awards contender.

Chicago 7 is based on a real-life incident in which seven defendants were charged with conspiracy to incite a riot after peaceful protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago turned into a violent clash with police and the National Guard. The film, which had been set for a theatrical release this September (before the COVID-19 pandemic hit), features an all-star cast including Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Jeremy Strong, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, among others.

Netflix has a history of doing business with Paramount, acquiring Martin Scorsese's The Irishman after the studio balked at the film's expanding budget, and picking up rom-com The Lovebirds after the pandemic forced Paramount to postpone its theatrical release.

According to Variety, which first reported the news that a deal was in the works, the streaming service hopes to release the politically resonant Chicago 7 ahead of the November presidential election. A new release date has not been announced, however.

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