Michael Keaton to star in Aaron Sorkin's 'The Trial of the Chicago 7'

Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Birdman and Spotlight star Michael Keaton has signed on to play civil rights lawyer Ramsey Clark in writer-director Aaron Sorkin's upcoming film The Trial of the Chicago 7.

The casting was reported Friday by The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline.

Co-starring Frank Langella, Mark Rylance, Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeremy Strong, Alex Sharp, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kelvin Harrison Jr., William Hurt and J.C. MacKenzie, the film is set for theatrical release on Sept. 25, 2020.

It is based on the 1969 trial of seven people charged by the federal government with conspiracy related to the counter-cultural protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Sorkin is best known for his TV shows The West Wing and The Newsroom, as well as the films A Few Good Men, The Social Network, Moneyball and Steve Jobs.