Olivia Wilde and Jon Hamm have signed on to Clint Eastwood’s movie, “The Ballad of Richard Jewell.”
The drama is based off of a Vanity Fair story on Jewell, a security guard who was falsely accused of the pipe-bombing at Centennial Park during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Jewell maintained his innocence and was cleared by the FBI 88 days later. The stress took a toll on his health and wellbeing. He died of heart failure at the age of 44.
Paul Walter Hauser will star as Jewell, Kathy Bates as Jewell’s mother, and Sam Rockwell as Jewell’s attorney who helped clear his name. Leonardo DiCaprio was originally slated to play Rockwell’s part. He is still on in a producing role, along with Jonah Hill. Wilde will play reporter Kathy Scruggs, who covered the event in as it unfolded. Hamm will play an FBI agent.
Billy Ray, who penned “Captain Phillips,” is writing the script; Eastwood plans to begin shooting the film this summer.
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