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‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ to Campaign All Actors in Supporting Categories for the Oscars

Clayton Davis
·2-min read

After debuting on Netflix, Aaron Sorkin’s critically acclaimed “The Trial of the Chicago 7” has made one of the key decisions in a successful awards campaign. The film’s robust cast includes Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Mark Rylance, Frank Langella, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jeremy Strong and Michael Keaton, who will all campaign in the supporting categories for the upcoming Academy Awards, as confirmed by Netflix.

The film tells the story of the famous trial of seven individuals that were charged for inciting a riot during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill.

Going the route of past films like “Spotlight” and “Crash,” the film has now positioned itself to possibly land multiple acting nominations. One of the biggest benefactors will be Cohen, who received an Oscar nomination in adapted screenplay for 2006’s “Borat,” as he received a large number of the standout notices. Partnered with his well-received performance in “Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm,” which was released by Amazon Studios this past weekend, he might be able to snag his first acting nomination.

With all the players hunting for the same five slots, vote-splitting is an obvious concern. Along with Cohen, Abdul-Mateen, Langella and Rylance received just as much standout praises from critics, while Oscar-winner Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”), is well-liked in the actors’ branch and will surely siphon some votes. Abdul-Mateen and Strong are fresh off their Emmy wins for HBO’s “Watchmen” and “Succession” respectively, while Langella hasn’t received an Oscar nomination since 2008’s “Frost/Nixon.” Rylance won the Academy Award for best supporting actor in a perceived upset for 2015’s “Bridge of Spies,” beating out presumed frontrunner Sylvester Stallone for “Creed.”

This will also connect heavily to the SAG nominating committee, as the movie is one of the frontrunners for the coveted top prize for best cast ensemble at the SAG awards, one of the most vital precursors in the best picture race. Sorkin’s film is ranked in several Oscar prediction categories including best original screenplay and film editing.

“The Trial of the Chicago 7” is currently streaming on Netflix. The Hollywood Reporter was first to report the news.

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