Steven Spielberg's upcoming film on Pentagon Papers renamed The Post; features Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep

Hollywood director Steven Spielberg is all set to present another cinematic masterpiece in the form of his upcoming film starring Academy Award-winning actors Meryl Steep and Tom Hanks. [caption id=“attachment_3979309” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  From left: Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks. Images via Facebook[/caption] The film is based on Washington Post’s role in exposing the classified Pentagon Papers in 1971. The film was initially reported to have been titled The Papers, but now the makers of the film, Fox and Amblin Entertainment, have renamed the film to The Post, reports Variety. While Hanks essays the role of Washington Post’s then editor, Bren Bradlee, Streep will be seen playing the role of the publisher, Katherine Graham. Other actors in the cast include Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk, Matthew Rhys, Bradley Whitford, Carrie Coon, Jesse Plemons, David Cross, Alison Brie, Bruce Greenwood, Tracy Letts, and Michael Stuhlbarg. In 1971, former US President Richard Nixon and Attorney General John Mitchell obtained injunctions from the federal court demanding a halt in the publication of The New York Times’ papers. It is then that Washington Post decided to go ahead and publish the 47-volume Pentagon Papers, which revealed some of the government’s most covert deceptions. Both papers appealed to the Supreme Court, and on 30 June, 1971, the court ruled 6-3 and said that the government had failed to provide enough proof that the papers’ First Amendment rights should be sidelined for national security reasons, as reported by The Telegraph. The judgement still stands as a historic verdict and an example of a free press in the US. Spielberg’s film has been written by Liz Hannah and Josh Singer. It is co-financed by Amblin Entertainment and Fox. While the latter will handle domestic distribution, the former will look after international distribution through its output deals with Universal, eOne, Reliance, and others, as reported by Variety. The film is slated for a limited release on 22 December, 2017 in order to be a potential candidate at various award shows. It will see a wide release on 12 January, 2018.