The upcoming movie directed by Steven Spielberg about the decision of the Washington Post to publish classified Pentagon Papers in 1971 has been given a new title, "The Post." The historical drama is being renamed after its screenplay's original title. This was after being renamed to "The Papers" back in June.
The film will feature huge stars namely Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep. It is expected to be one of the major contenders in the coming awards season. The film is produced by Fox and Amblin Entertainment.
Streep will portray Kay Graham, the then publisher of Washington Post, while Hanks will be playing the role of the paper's then editor Ben Bradlee.
The film will center on the paper's publishing of classified documents from the Department of Defense in 1971. The papers revealed details of secret U.S. operations in Indochina that increased the scope of its involvement in the Vietnam War. These operations were not reported in mainstream media.
The papers were initially published by New York Times, which received pressure from the government to cease the publication. When the paper refused to voluntarily cease publishing the documents, former President Richard Nixon and Attorney General John Mitchell obtained a federal court injunction that forced the paper to stop publishing the papers.
While the New York Times fought the ruling, the Washington Post began publishing its own series of articles about the controversial documents.
The upcoming film has received criticism from people involved with the New York Times at the time for failing to emphasize their paper's role in breaking the story to the public. In 1972, The New York Times was awarded with a Pulitzer Prize for its meritorious public service.
Aside from Streep and Hanks, the cast also includes talented actors like Sarah Paulson, Alison Brie, Bradley Whitford, Bob Odenkirk, Michael Stuhlbarg, Matthew Rhys, Carrie Coon, Tracy Letts, David Cross, Bruce Greenwood, and Jesse Plemons.
"The Post" will have a limited release on Dec. 22 and is expected for a wider release on Jan. 12.
