Veteran actor Kathy Bates has joined the cast of filmmaker Clint Eastwood's upcoming drama "The Ballad of Richard Jewell".
The film is based on a a real-life security guard, Richard Jewell, whose world turned upside down after someone from law enforcement wrongly leaked to media that he was a possible suspect for the pipe-bombing at Centennial Park during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Jewell went from being a hero, who discovered the suspicious abandoned backpack and saved hundreds of lives, to one of the most hated men in the US.
According to Deadline, Bates, 70, will portray Bobi Jewell, Richard's mother who was an insurance claims adjuster.
The film will also feature Oscar winner Sam Rockwell in the role of a defense attorney who defends Jewell after he is wrongly accused.
Casting for the role of Jewell has not been announced yet.
Billy Ray is writing the script, which is based on a Marie Brenner article in Vanity Fair.
"As law enforcement asserted Jewell planted the bomb himself and then 'found' it to make himself a hero. Jewell maintained his innocence throughout and was finally fully cleared by the FBI 88 days later, though his reputation was never restored. While Jewell eventually became a police officer, he died of heart failure a few years later at the age of 44," the plot synopsis read.
Previously, actors Jonah Hill and DiCaprio were attached to star, but they will no longer feature in the film. Their involvement will be limited to producing the project.
Apart from directing, Eastwood is also producing the project through his Malpaso production banner.
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