Paul Greengrass has had great success bringing reality-based dramas to vivid life with the likes of Bloody Sunday, United 93 and Captain Phillips. So it’s hardly surprising that Leonardo DiCaprio and 20th Century Fox want him to direct the as-yet-untitled film about Atlanta Olympics security guard Richard Jewell.
The film will be based on Marie Brenner’s 1997 Vanity Fair article The Ballad Of Richard Jewell, which digs into Jewell's story during the 1996 event. Initially Jewell was hailed as a hero after he found a suspicious backpack in the sports compound and helped to clear bystanders before the bomb contained within it detonated, killing two people on the day and inuring 111 others. But soon the Atlanta Journal Constitution, working on a law enforcement tip, reported that Jewell fit the profile of a possible bomber and the media descended, camping outside the house where Jewell lived with his mother and spurring an FBI investigation. The story became a national scandal, even though he was cleared three months later.
Jonah Hill, who paired well with Leo forThe Wolf Of Wall Street, is attached to play Jewell with DiCaprio filling the role of Watson Bryant, a lawyer who knew him casually and helped him clear his name.
According to Deadline, Greengrass is still considering whether he’ll even take the job, and there’s no deal in place yet. But if all three fall into place and get the right script, this could be a compelling film.