Wow, here’s one that’s been in development limbo for a long time. The Ballad of Richard Jewell is a film that began with a ton of promise. It had a script by The Hunger Games and Captain Phillips writer Billy Ray, and would’ve starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill shortly after they made such an epic pair in The Wolf of Wall Street. Even with all of that talent, and a great story about the Olympics security guard who became one of the country’s most hated men in 1996, Fox couldn’t get it off the ground.
Well, now Fox is under Disney’s control and the film is looking to be revived, this time with Clint Eastwood at the helm. The legendary actor and director is in talks with Disney to direct The Ballad of Richard Jewell, and if he lands the gig he’ll start from scratch with a new cast. The story charts the real-life turmoil of Richard Jewell, a security guard at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta whose act of heroism was quickly turned against him by a faulty news story. Jewell discovered a mysterious backpack and reported it to authorities, he then evacuated people in the area and possibly saved many lives. However, when the false story broke that he was under investigation he became a target. While exonerated, Jewell was remembered for the accusations up until his death in 2007.
Eastwood recently bounced back from a horrendous response to The 15:17 to Paris with last year’s surprise hit, The Mule. Putting his name on any project can still be quite a draw, and assuming Disney doesn’t give this Fox property the boot the way they’ve been doing lately, this should also attract a lot of attention. [Deadline]
