The Trial of the Chicago 7: Aaron Sorkin’s star-studded crime drama looks compelling

Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7 is a Netflix crime drama chock-full of acclaimed actors. It is Sorkin's second directorial after 2017's critically-acclaimed Molly's Game starring Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba.

The film stars Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jeremy Strong, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Alex Sharp, Thomas Middleditch, Frank Langella, William Hurt, Michael Keaton, and Mark Rylance.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 is about the 1969 trial of anti-war activists who protested against America's involvement in Vietnam War. The government charged the activists with conspiracy for their role in the protests surrounding the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

The official synopsis of the film says, "What was intended to be a peaceful protest at the 1968 Democratic National Convention turned into a violent clash with police and the National Guard. The organizers of the protest—including Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden and Bobby Seale—were charged with conspiracy to incite a riot and the trial that followed was one of the most notorious in history."

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Mark Rylance in a still from The Trial of the Chicago 7.

Eddie Redmayne plays the role of activist, author and politician Tom Hayden in The Trial of the Chicago 7.

Jeremy Strong, best known for Succession, plays the role of anti-war and counterculture icon Jerry Rubin in The Trial of the Chicago 7.

This will be the first time Sacha Baron Cohen will be seen on the screen after 2018's political satire series Who Is America?. He will essay the role of Abbie Hoffman in The Trial of the Chicago 7.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt will play the role of Richard Schultz in The Trial of the Chicago 7.

Eddie Redmayne, Mark Rylance and others in The Trial of the Chicago 7. The movie will premiere on Netflix on October 16, 2020.