Kathy Bates to Star in Richard Jewell Movie: Report
The cast is coming together for Clint Eastwood's Richard Jewell movie.
Academy Award winner Kathy Bates is reportedly signing on. She'll star in the Warner Bros. film as the titular character's mother, according to Deadline. Eastwood is the director, and Billy Ray is writing the script based on a Vanity Fair article by Marie Brenner called "The Ballad of Richard Jewell."
The project tells the story of a real-life security guard named Richard Jewell whose life changed after he tipped off police about a suspicious backpack at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He was at first credited with saving lives in the bombing, but when word got out that he was being investigated as a possible suspect, he was vilified. Jewell's name was eventually cleared, but the experience took a heavy toll on him.
News of Bates's casting comes following a THR report that Paul Walter Hauser ("BlacKkKlansman") will play Jewell. They join Sam Rockwell, who is set to play Jewell's defense attorney. Bates's addition means the cast will have another Oscar winner on board.
A veteran actress, Bates won her Academy Award for her role in 1990's "Misery." She has been nominated for the prestigious prize on two other occasions. Over the years, Bates has starred in a number of high-profile films, including "Titanic" alongside "Richard Jewell" producer Leonardo DiCaprio.
The Richard Jewell project comes from Malpaso, Misher Films, 75 Year Plan, and Appian Way. DiCaprio is producing alongside Jonah Hill, Tim Moore, Jessica Meier, Kevin Misher, and Jennifer Davisson.
[via: Deadline]