The true story on which the Clint Eastwood film The Richard Jewell Case is based sounds hair-raising, but to a large extent it really happened. You can watch the biopic for the first time on free TV today and ponder how different the film would have been in its original constellation.
That’s what The Richard Jewell Case is about
A security guard named Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser) discovers a suspicious backpack at work. There is actually one in there bomb and Richard Jewell manages to prevent the worst from happening. He ensures that the people at risk leave the area and is shortly afterwards named and celebrated as a hero by the media.
Shortly afterwards the tide turns again and the hero becomes a suspect. Because Richard Jewell lives with his mother, has guns at home and otherwise fits the FBI’s perpetrator profile. Now it’s up to the security guard and his lawyer (Sam Rockwell) to clear the name of Richard Jewell.
Warner Bros.
Sam Rockwell and Paul Walter Hauser in The Richard Jewell Case
The Richard Jewell case could have been a very different film
The drama is based on a true story and focuses primarily on the media hustle and bustle. But there was also strong criticism of the film, because a journalist’s account differs greatly from the actual events. Reporter Kathy Scruggs (Olivia Wilde) is shown in The Richard Jewell Case as a person who offers sex in exchange for information (via: Vanity Fair).
When The Richard Jewell Case was announced in 2014, the two were supposed to Main characters still played by Jonah Hill and Leonardo DiCaprio become. Jonah Hill would have been the eponymous Richard Jewell and Leonardo DiCaprio would have been his lawyer. As we all know, nothing came of it, but both remained on board as producers. Before Clint Eastwood, David O. Russell and Ezra Edelman were considered as directors (via: Deadline).
TV or stream: When and where is The Richard Jewell case coming?
ProSieben shows The Richard Jewell case tonight, so on January 13th at 8:15 p.m at prime time as a free TV premiere. There are currently no plans to repeat it.
But if you prefer to watch The Richard Jewell Case online instead of on TV, you can of course do that too. You can rent or buy the film on Maxdome, Apple TV, Google Play and Amazon.
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