Paul Greengrass exits Aaron Sorkin's Chicago Seven pic

As the great Randy Moss said sometimes it's all about "the straight cash homie."

Director Paul Greengrass has dropped out as director of The Trial of the Chicago 7 due to budgetary concerns.  According to "Variety" Dreamworks didn't want to go over a $30 million budget but Greengrass claimed he needed $40 million.  And for want of $10 million dollars a director was lost.

For those not familiar with the Chicago Seven here's a little insight:

It's based on the 1968 Democratic National Convention when anti-war, counter-culture, Hippie, Black Panther, and other protesters battled the Chicago Police Department in what became week-long street rioting witnessed live on television by a worldwide audience. A year later the Nixon administration tried the most prominent activists on charges they conspired to incite the violence. Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, John Froines, and Lee Weiner were represented by attorneys William Kunstler and Leonard Weinglass of the Center For Constitutional Rights. An 8th defendant, Bobby Seale, co-chair of the Black Panther Party, wound up infamously bound, gagged and handcuffed to his chair by presiding U.S. District Judge Julius Hoffman until his trial was severed during the proceedings. Seale was ordered to serve 5 years in prison for contempt of court."

"The Chicago 7 trial lasted months and created headlines, especially with many well-known names from the American left called to testify including folk singers Phil Ochs, Judy Collins and Arlo Guthrie, writers Norman Mailer and Allen Ginsberg, and activists Timothy Leary and Jesse Jackson. On February 18, 1970, all 7 defendants were found not guilty of conspiracy. Froines and Weiner were acquitted completely, while the remaining 5 were convicted of crossing state lines with the intent to incite a riot.

 

Volatile times and touchstone historical moments always make for good drama.  I'm willing to lay money that Aaron Sorkin's put together a fairly good script.  The Academy Award winner might just have a future in this industry.  With Sorkin attached to this project, I doubt it will take long to find a replacement for Greengrass.  How about Tom Hooper?