“The Ballad Of Richard Jewell” is a film that has languished in the dreaded development hell for years. The true story of the titular man that went from hero to hated in a matter of hours looks to be changing directors yet again. However, this time, Clint Eastwood is the man circling the project, signaling that audiences might actually see the film after years of promises.
Deadline is reporting that Eastwood is the latest director to flirt with the project, and is in discussions with Disney/Fox to helm the biopic. For those not familiar with the story of Richard Jewell, the film will chronicle his time as a security guard at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. While there, he discovered a mystery backpack, reported it to authorities, and evacuated people from the area, saving a good number of lives. However, his heroic act was quickly overshadowed when a reporter wrote an article based on leaked information (that turned out to be false) that the police were investigating Jewell as a possible suspect in the bombing. Despite being exonerated, the public still remembers him for the criminal situation.
As mentioned, ‘Ballad’ has been in development for years, with actors like Jonah Hill and Leonardo DiCaprio intended to star in the film and a script from “Captain Phillips” writer Billy Ray. The report states that if Eastwood takes on the project, the Oscar-winning director will seek out his own cast.
Another interesting aspect of this production is on the business side of things. The film has been in development with Fox for years, but seems to be one of the few projects that might actually survive the merger with Disney. Yesterday, we found out that Disney has no problem canceling films two weeks before production was set to begin, so it’s nice to see at least one project continue on in the new Disney/Fox landscape.
Eastwood most recently starred in and directed the 2018 film, “The Mule,” which surprised many and became a breakout box office hit. So, even though he’s approaching 89-years-old, the Hollywood icon appears to have plenty left in the tank.
