Actor Jonathan Majors is in negotiations to star in director Aaron Sorkin's political drama "The Trial of the Chicago 7".
The film will narrate the story of the 1969 trial in which anti-war activists such as Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin and Tom Hayden were accused of conspiracy, inciting to riots and other charges related to anti-Vietnam War protests in Chicago, Illinois, on the occasion of the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
If the deal is finalised, the 29-year-old actor will take on the role of Bobby Seale, co-founder of the Black Panther Party, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Earlier, Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne and actor Sacha Baron Cohen were in talks to star in the film. Their casting has not yet been confirmed.
Redmayne, 36, is being eyed to play play Tom Hayden, the co-founder of the Students for a Democratic Society. Hayden was best known for his role as an anti-war, civil rights, and radical intellectual activist in the 1960s.
Cohen, 47, is in talks for the role of Abbie Hoffman, the anarchic co-founder of the Youth International Party, who came to be known as Yippies.
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Sorkin has penned the screenplay. Earlier, veteran director Steven Spielberg was planning to helm but a writers' strike forced him to delay the film.
After the success of his directorial debut "Molly's Game", Sorkin officially assumed the directing duties of the new film.
"The Trial of the Chicago 7" will be produced by Marc Platt.
Majors is will be next seen in Yann Demange's "White Boy Rick", which also features Matthew McConaughey.