Clint Eastwood is one of the select group of actors who was able to make the transition to a critically acclaimed director. Now he’s back with a new film that delves deeper into a very strange moment in recent American History.
During the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, there was a bombing in Centennial park. Over the next several months, the man who was initially hailed as the hero of the day was quickly rebranded into the role of prime suspect. In the new film, Eastwood examines what happened to Richard Jewell, the story of how the media and law enforcement jumped to false conclusions, and essentially ruined the guy’s life.
Paul Walter Hauser stars as Richard Jewell alongside an all-star cast of Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Olivia Wilde, Jon Hamm, and Ian Gomez. Richard Jewell premiers December 13th.
Directed by Clint Eastwood and based on true events, “Richard Jewell” is a story of what happens when what is reported as fact obscures the truth.
“There is a bomb in Centennial Park. You have thirty minutes.” The world is first introduced to Richard Jewell as the security guard who reports finding the device at the 1996 Atlanta bombing—his report making him a hero whose swift actions save countless lives. But within days, the law enforcement wannabe becomes the FBI’s number one suspect, vilified by press and public alike, his life ripped apart. Reaching out to independent, anti-establishment attorney Watson Bryant, Jewell staunchly professes his innocence. But Bryant finds he is out of his depth as he fights the combined powers of the FBI, GBI and APD to clear his client’s name, while keeping Richard from trusting the very people trying to destroy him.