Clint Eastwood Assembles A-List Cast For Next Film; Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde Join

Following the box office success of last year’s “The Mule,” Clint Eastwood is already putting together an A-list cast for his next directorial effort, “The Ballad of Richard Jewell.”

Based on the 1997 Vanity Fair article, “American Nightmare: The Ballad of Richard Jewell,” the biopic will tell the story of Jewell, a police officer who discovered a pipe bomb during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and managed to evacuate most in attendance before the device went off. Despite being lauded as a hero, Jewell was later falsely accused of setting the bomb himself but was eventually exonerated.

After parting ways with 20th Century Fox following its acquisition by Disney, Eastwood’s frequent distributor Warner Bros. picked up the project, which is gearing up for a late 2019 shoot.

Academy Award winner Sam Rockwell will play Jewell’s attorney, a role originally set to go to Leonardo DiCaprio. “American Horror Story” and “Misery” star Kathy Bates will play Jewell’s mother, Bobi Jewell.

As reported by Variety, the most recent additions to the supporting cast are Jon Hamm (“Mad Men”) and Olivia Wilde (“TRON: Legacy”). Hamm will be playing an FBI agent, while Wilde will play Kathy Scruggs, a journalist covering the story.

Leading the cast will be Paul Walter Hauser as Jewell himself. While a relative unknown compared to his co-stars, Hauser has recently gained attention with standout roles in “I, Tonya” and “Late Night.”

While no release date has been set for the film, given Eastwood’s reputation for quick shoots, a late 2020 release wouldn’t be surprising.