Following their critically-acclaimed performances opposite one another in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill have been planning American Nightmare: The Ballad of Richard Jewell, a new feature film based on the life of security guard Richard Jewell who, in 1996, became both a national hero and, immediately thereafter, a suspect in the Olympic Park bombing. Today, Deadline reveals that the project may have found a director in Paul Greengrass (United 93, Captain Phillips). They report that Greengrass is circling the film, but has not yet made a commitment.
Based on the Vanity Fair article of the same name by Marie Brenner, the film will feature Hill as Jewell, whose life is thrown into turmoil following allegations of his involvement in the disaster. DiCaprio, meanwhile, will play his lawyer. Jewell was eventually exonerated, but not at the expense of an investigation that, for months, had the American public believing him a potential terrorist.
DiCaprio will produce through his Appian Way alongside Hill, Jennifer Davisson Killoran and Kevin Misher. Andy Berman will also produce through Misher Films with the project set for distribution through 20th Century Fox.
Brenner’s work was previously adapted for the screen with Michael Mann’s The Insider, based on her article “The Man Who Knew Too Much.”
