Aaron Sorkin, right, and Sacha Baron Cohen's film "The Trial of the Chicago 7" has hit another snag and will be shelved, according to reports. (AP/Getty)
The long-awaited release of the “Trial of the Chicago 7” appears to be dead in the water.
According to Variety, pre-production of the film — which focused on the infamous 1969 trial surrounding seven men charged by the federal government with conspiracy following the 1968 Democratic National Convention — has been shut down ahead of its February 2019 start date.
The outlet reports Amblin Entertainment, the production company behind the period drama, will remain on as a producer should the movie — directed by Aaron Sorkin — get the green-light down the road.
Meanwhile, Amblin is re-grouping while they give Sorkin, 57, time to focus on his stage play “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Reps for Sorkin and Amblin did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
“Aaron just adapted ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ which is premiering on Broadway this Thursday. He is currently evaluating his schedule and commitments to determine the best time and way to make ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7.’ Amblin remains involved as a producer,” Amblin told Variety in a statement on Wednesday.
While this isn’t the first hiccup Amblin and Sorkin have had while trying to get the film into production, many big names have already been slated to star as the studio had already hired Sacha Baron Cohen, Jonathan Majors and Eddie Redmayne. Other names that have surfaced for possible roles are Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
It has been more than a decade since talks of developing the “Trial of the Chicago 7” began, and at this point in time, it is unclear when the project will get off the ground.
Amblin CEO Steven Spielberg and Paul Greengrass were previously tapped to direct the film.
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