David Zaslav has a funny way of making friends.
In a week where the Warner Bros Discovery CEO once again alienated almost everyone with the cutting of the completed Coyote vs Acme for a tax write down, Zaslav now is praising the Writers Guild of America, his foe for several months this year.
“They are right about almost everything,” the exec told the New York Times about the scribes and the deal they made with the studios after five bitter months that shut Hollywood down. “So what if we overpay? I’ve never regretted overpaying for great talent or a great asset,” Zaslav added in what seems like a 180 and more from where he, the AMPTP and others in the CEO Gang of Four were back in the spring.
Going through their own corporate contractions, overpaid is probably not the label Zas’ fellow Gang of Four were hoping to be tattooed with today
With Zaslav,...
In a week where the Warner Bros Discovery CEO once again alienated almost everyone with the cutting of the completed Coyote vs Acme for a tax write down, Zaslav now is praising the Writers Guild of America, his foe for several months this year.
“They are right about almost everything,” the exec told the New York Times about the scribes and the deal they made with the studios after five bitter months that shut Hollywood down. “So what if we overpay? I’ve never regretted overpaying for great talent or a great asset,” Zaslav added in what seems like a 180 and more from where he, the AMPTP and others in the CEO Gang of Four were back in the spring.
Going through their own corporate contractions, overpaid is probably not the label Zas’ fellow Gang of Four were hoping to be tattooed with today
With Zaslav,...
- 11/15/2023
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
CNN sure likes to keep ’em guessing.
After canceling media-affairs show “Reliable Sources,” which often tilted at the content of Fox News Channel, CNN plans to air a previously-announced documentary mini-series about that network’s owners.
“The Murdochs: Empire of Influence,” a seven-part documentary series previously planned for the now-scuttled streaming site CNN+, will debut on CNN”s flagship cable outlet in the fall. The original series will debut with a two-episode premiere on Sunday, September 25.
The series was produced with The New York Times and Left/Right and is based on the New York Times Magazine article “How Rupert Murdoch’s Empire of Influence Remade the World,” by journalists Jonathan Mahler and Jim Rutenberg. They serve as consulting producers on the series. The program aims to examine the rise of Rupert Murdoch, his global influence and the battle for succession among his children. In an announcement about the series in February,...
After canceling media-affairs show “Reliable Sources,” which often tilted at the content of Fox News Channel, CNN plans to air a previously-announced documentary mini-series about that network’s owners.
“The Murdochs: Empire of Influence,” a seven-part documentary series previously planned for the now-scuttled streaming site CNN+, will debut on CNN”s flagship cable outlet in the fall. The original series will debut with a two-episode premiere on Sunday, September 25.
The series was produced with The New York Times and Left/Right and is based on the New York Times Magazine article “How Rupert Murdoch’s Empire of Influence Remade the World,” by journalists Jonathan Mahler and Jim Rutenberg. They serve as consulting producers on the series. The program aims to examine the rise of Rupert Murdoch, his global influence and the battle for succession among his children. In an announcement about the series in February,...
- 8/23/2022
- by Brian Steinberg
- Variety Film + TV
“The Murdochs: Empire of Influence,” an original series detailing the world’s most powerful media family and their complicated history, will air on CNN this fall. The original series will debut with a two-episode premiere Sunday, Sept. 25.
Based on Jonathan Mahler and Jim Rutenberg’s New York Times Magazine article “How Rupert Murdoch’s Empire of Influence Remade the World,” the CNN series explores the legacy of media mogul Rupert Murdoch and the dynasty he built. It will feature exclusive reporting from The New York Times, interviews with people who worked inside the Murdoch companies and decades of archival footage.
The seven-part series will go “behind the scenes of the improbable rise of a media tycoon, his outsized influence around the globe and the intense succession battle between his children over who will inherit his throne,” per CNN. “The Murdochs: Empire of Influence” charts the “high-stakes deal making, political maneuvering,...
Based on Jonathan Mahler and Jim Rutenberg’s New York Times Magazine article “How Rupert Murdoch’s Empire of Influence Remade the World,” the CNN series explores the legacy of media mogul Rupert Murdoch and the dynasty he built. It will feature exclusive reporting from The New York Times, interviews with people who worked inside the Murdoch companies and decades of archival footage.
The seven-part series will go “behind the scenes of the improbable rise of a media tycoon, his outsized influence around the globe and the intense succession battle between his children over who will inherit his throne,” per CNN. “The Murdochs: Empire of Influence” charts the “high-stakes deal making, political maneuvering,...
- 8/23/2022
- by Brandon Katz
- The Wrap
CNN’s chief media correspondent Brian Stelter will host a daily version of Reliable Sources for CNN+, the upcoming subscription service set to debut this spring.
Reliable Sources Daily will examine the world of media, politics and entertainment, as Stelter has done on his weekly Sunday CNN show, podcast and daily newsletter. Stelter also appears frequently on air on CNN to provide updates on the latest breaking news in media and politics.
Stelter will join a number of other network figures who will have shows on CNN+, including Don Lemon, Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper.
Stelter wrote in his newsletter on Wednesday, “I am personally thrilled because there are so many compelling stories to cover through a media lens. Sometimes the best vehicle is Sunday’s flagship ‘Reliable Sources,’ a unique part of CNN’s weekend schedule for 30 years. Other times it’s an in-depth podcast or a special edition of this newsletter,...
Reliable Sources Daily will examine the world of media, politics and entertainment, as Stelter has done on his weekly Sunday CNN show, podcast and daily newsletter. Stelter also appears frequently on air on CNN to provide updates on the latest breaking news in media and politics.
Stelter will join a number of other network figures who will have shows on CNN+, including Don Lemon, Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper.
Stelter wrote in his newsletter on Wednesday, “I am personally thrilled because there are so many compelling stories to cover through a media lens. Sometimes the best vehicle is Sunday’s flagship ‘Reliable Sources,’ a unique part of CNN’s weekend schedule for 30 years. Other times it’s an in-depth podcast or a special edition of this newsletter,...
- 2/17/2022
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
The Murdochs, the media-mogul family that controls Fox News Channel, are about to be the subject of a new documentary series that will be distributed by one of their main rivals.
CNN expects to launch a six-part documentary series, “The Murdochs: Empire of Influence,” on CNN Plus, the streaming video site slated to launch in weeks to come. The series is produced with The New York Times and Left/Right and is based on the New York Times Magazine article “How Rupert Murdoch’s Empire of Influence Remade the World,” by journalists Jonathan Mahler and Jim Rutenberg. They serve as consulting producers on the series.
The docuseries will examine the rise of Rupert Murdoch, his global influence and the battle for succession among his children. CNN says the series “charts the high-stakes deal making, political maneuvering and dynastic betrayals — and how the ambitions of one family birthed one of the largest media empires in history.
CNN expects to launch a six-part documentary series, “The Murdochs: Empire of Influence,” on CNN Plus, the streaming video site slated to launch in weeks to come. The series is produced with The New York Times and Left/Right and is based on the New York Times Magazine article “How Rupert Murdoch’s Empire of Influence Remade the World,” by journalists Jonathan Mahler and Jim Rutenberg. They serve as consulting producers on the series.
The docuseries will examine the rise of Rupert Murdoch, his global influence and the battle for succession among his children. CNN says the series “charts the high-stakes deal making, political maneuvering and dynastic betrayals — and how the ambitions of one family birthed one of the largest media empires in history.
- 2/17/2022
- by Brian Steinberg
- Variety Film + TV
This story appears in the May 2020 issue of Rolling Stone, on newsstands May 5th.
On March 1st, New York reported its first confirmed case of Covid-19, after a Manhattan health care worker in her late thirties, who had visited Iran, tested positive at a hospital in the city. Six days later, that number had jumped to 89, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency.
Two days later, Donald Trump tweeted, “So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down,...
On March 1st, New York reported its first confirmed case of Covid-19, after a Manhattan health care worker in her late thirties, who had visited Iran, tested positive at a hospital in the city. Six days later, that number had jumped to 89, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency.
Two days later, Donald Trump tweeted, “So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down,...
- 4/13/2020
- by Mark Binelli
- Rollingstone.com
The family of Rupert Murdoch became so divided over the sale of key 21st Century Fox film and TV assets to Disney that papers were drawn up for the mogul and his son and successor, Lachlan, to buy out the stock of siblings James, Elisabeth and Prudence, the New York Times reported Wednesday. The deal fell through late last year after Lachlan Murdoch got cold feet over the financial cost, the paper reported.
That’s just one of the many revelations in a lengthy exposé in the Times, titled “How Rupert Murdoch’s Empire of Influence Remade the World.”
Also Read: Sean Hannity Needles 'Lowlife' Alec Baldwin: 'Becoming More and More Unhinged'
Here are some of the other noteworthy revelations in the story, reported over six months by Jonathan Mahler and Jim Rutenberg.
1. Rupert Murdoch has long ties to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump
The mogul and his then-wife...
That’s just one of the many revelations in a lengthy exposé in the Times, titled “How Rupert Murdoch’s Empire of Influence Remade the World.”
Also Read: Sean Hannity Needles 'Lowlife' Alec Baldwin: 'Becoming More and More Unhinged'
Here are some of the other noteworthy revelations in the story, reported over six months by Jonathan Mahler and Jim Rutenberg.
1. Rupert Murdoch has long ties to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump
The mogul and his then-wife...
- 4/3/2019
- by Thom Geier
- The Wrap
The wife of presumptive Gop nominee Donald Trump took a rare step into the spotlight at the Republican convention in Cleveland Monday night. The billionaire businessman introduced his wife after making a dramatic entrance across a darkened stage, with Queen's "We Are the Champions" blaring and the crowd cheering wildly. He said only, "We're going to win. We're going to win so big." And with that, he called his wife on stage, gave her a kiss and turned over the lectern to her. "I'm so proud of your choice for president of the United States - my husband, Donald J. Trump!
- 7/19/2016
- by Tierney McAfee, @tierneymcafee
- PEOPLE.com
The wife of presumptive Gop nominee Donald Trump took a rare step into the spotlight at the Republican convention in Cleveland Monday night. The billionaire businessman introduced his wife after making a dramatic entrance across a darkened stage, with Queen's "We Are the Champions" blaring and the crowd cheering wildly. He said only, "We're going to win. We're going to win so big." And with that, he called his wife on stage, gave her a kiss and turned over the lectern to her. "I'm so proud of your choice for president of the United States - my husband, Donald J. Trump!
- 7/19/2016
- by Tierney McAfee, @tierneymcafee
- PEOPLE.com
New York Times editor Dean Baquet admitted on Wednesday that Times reporters who reported on the death of Osama Bin Laden should’ve been consulted more before the Times Magazine published a cover story questioning the facts around Bin Laden’s death. The controversy Baquet responded to revolved around the Sunday Magazine cover story; a 7,000-word cover piece written by media reporter Jonathan Mahler titled, “Do We Really Know The Truth About His Death?” In an interview with public editor Margaret Sullivan, Baquet conceded Washington, D.C. reporters “should have been consulted more” before the story ran in the magazine.
- 10/21/2015
- by Jordan Chariton
- The Wrap
The New York Times has hired Jonathan Mahler, a long-term contributor to its Sunday magazine and author of 2006's “Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning,” as a corporate media reporter, according to media reports. Mahler, who also authored “The Challenge: Hamdan v. Rumsfeld and the Fight Over Presidential Power” and “Death Comes to Happy Valley: Penn State and the Tragic Legacy of Joe Paterno,” tweeted on Friday that he's “Very excited to be joining” the paper. Also read: Chelsea Handler Slams New York Times’ Bill Carter for Sexism: I'm Not a ‘Parenthetical’ In addition to New York Times Magazine,...
- 3/28/2014
- by Tim Kenneally
- The Wrap
The death of Osama bin Laden is making headlines all across the globe today, and it's an incident we're sure to hear about for years and years to come — indeed, it's a story we're likely to see on the big-screen very soon.
Several developing films centered on bin Laden already existed prior to the Al Qaeda terrorist leader's death in Pakistan over the weekend, with talented filmmakers like Kathryn Bigelow and Oliver Stone attached to some of these projects. But what are the details of these movies? And what's the status on each project now that bin Laden is dead?
We've got the rundown of Hollywood's various bin Laden projects after the jump.
"Kill Bin Laden"
The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline both have an extensive rundown on "Kill Bin Laden," a project that Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow has been preparing alongside "Hurt Locker" collaborator Mark Boal in recent weeks. Their...
Several developing films centered on bin Laden already existed prior to the Al Qaeda terrorist leader's death in Pakistan over the weekend, with talented filmmakers like Kathryn Bigelow and Oliver Stone attached to some of these projects. But what are the details of these movies? And what's the status on each project now that bin Laden is dead?
We've got the rundown of Hollywood's various bin Laden projects after the jump.
"Kill Bin Laden"
The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline both have an extensive rundown on "Kill Bin Laden," a project that Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow has been preparing alongside "Hurt Locker" collaborator Mark Boal in recent weeks. Their...
- 5/2/2011
- by Josh Wigler
- MTV Movies Blog
George Clooney and Grant Heslov’s production company Smokehouse Entertainment have left their longtime friends at Warner Brothers and have signed a two year contract with Sony. It kind of feels like strange timing after Sony just screwed over longtime collaborator Steven Soderbergh and his baseball docu-drama Moneyball. It kind of feels like the end of an era with this announcement. This was one of the great actor studio partnerships of the past 20 years. It began with the Clooney / Soderbergh company Section Eight. It included such intelligent adult fare as Good Night and Good Luck, Michael Clayton, Syriana, Far From Heaven, Insomnia, Criminal, and A Scanner Darkly. They would recoup their losses through The Ocean’s Eleven Trilogy. Whatever you thought about these films they took risks and tried to inject some originality and intellect into Hollywood. Their critical successes did outweigh the honorable failures (The Good German, Leatherheads). Section...
- 7/6/2009
- by Anthony Nicholas
- SoundOnSight
Movie studios are a lot like individual people. Some develop a reputation as being thrifty and don't want to spend a lot, some are known for being more open to taking chances on arthouse projects while others make their bread on mainstream movies filled with lots of explosions. Over the past decade one of the studios that proved itself to be willing to take equal chances on big budget, high concept tentpoles and smaller dramatic fare is Warner Bros. For the past decade WB has been the place that George Clooney has developed his personal projects, first with director Steven Soderbergh under their Section 8 production company banner and then later with writer/director Grant Heslov under the new company Smokehouse Pictures.
Now, after three years working with Warners, Smokehouse is now cutting a deal to develop new movies for Sony Pictures. A press release went out today from Sony announcing...
Now, after three years working with Warners, Smokehouse is now cutting a deal to develop new movies for Sony Pictures. A press release went out today from Sony announcing...
- 7/1/2009
- by Patrick Sauriol
- Corona's Coming Attractions
I haven’t always been a fan of George Clooney’s. I first came across him during his “ER” days, at an age when it was cool to mock such things. The bias I harbored after that continued all the way up through and beyond “Batman & Robin.” Then Clooney started taking on smart projects, like “Three Kings” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” I found myself liking the guy and his work despite myself.
So I feel a bit sorry for old George at the news that he and Smokehouse Pictures partner Grant Heslov have been traded away from Warner Bros to Sony. Which isn’t to say that Sony is a bad outfit. Clooney and Heslov have almost a decade of history with WB though. Smokehouse hasn’t exactly performed to expectations, but it’s a shame to see their long partnership end. Nikke Finke at Deadline Hollywood has...
So I feel a bit sorry for old George at the news that he and Smokehouse Pictures partner Grant Heslov have been traded away from Warner Bros to Sony. Which isn’t to say that Sony is a bad outfit. Clooney and Heslov have almost a decade of history with WB though. Smokehouse hasn’t exactly performed to expectations, but it’s a shame to see their long partnership end. Nikke Finke at Deadline Hollywood has...
- 6/30/2009
- by Adam Rosenberg
- MTV Movies Blog
When it comes to George Clooney's political leanings, I have to tell you, I'm a little conflicted. Does it make me a hypocrite that I cringe whenever most actors wax poetic on the state of the union, but whenever Clooney gets a little high on the horse I tend to give him a pass -- maybe it's because I usually agree with him, or maybe like most of the world, I just can't seem to say no to 'The Clooney'. So while most of Clooney's political fare has been a relatively easy sell, his latest politically charged flick definitely will not fall into that category. Luckily for him, he has found the perfect partner in crime. Variety reports that Clooney has joined forces with Liberal darling Aaron Sorkin to write a script for the film version of Jonathan Mahler's book, The Challenge: Hamdan v. Rumsfeld and the Fight Over Presidential Power.
- 2/4/2009
- by Jessica Barnes
- Cinematical
Last summer, George Clooney's Smoke House acquired the big-screen rights to Jonathan Mahler’s thriller “The Challenge,” and now the project has a writer.
Variety today announced Aaron Sorkin will adapt the book, which focuses on the struggle by U.S. Navy lawyer Charles Swift and law professor Neal Katyal to guarantee a fair trial for Salim Hamdan, the bodyguard and driver of Osama bin Laden.
According to the trade, the story won't "debate Hamdan's guilt or innocence but chart the dogged efforts of the two lawyers who sue the president because they feel the U.S. government has broken the law and violated the Constitution."
Clooney is also attached to direct and star as Swift. And why not? He certainly can act if he wants to, and he definitely can direct as well (okay, "Letherheads" stank, but whatever).
Sorkin, creator of "The West Wing," also wrote "Charlie Wilson's War...
Variety today announced Aaron Sorkin will adapt the book, which focuses on the struggle by U.S. Navy lawyer Charles Swift and law professor Neal Katyal to guarantee a fair trial for Salim Hamdan, the bodyguard and driver of Osama bin Laden.
According to the trade, the story won't "debate Hamdan's guilt or innocence but chart the dogged efforts of the two lawyers who sue the president because they feel the U.S. government has broken the law and violated the Constitution."
Clooney is also attached to direct and star as Swift. And why not? He certainly can act if he wants to, and he definitely can direct as well (okay, "Letherheads" stank, but whatever).
Sorkin, creator of "The West Wing," also wrote "Charlie Wilson's War...
- 2/3/2009
- by Franck Tabouring
- screeninglog.com
George Clooney will be producing a new courtroom drama through his Smoke House company, and has tapped scribe Aaron Sorkin to write the screenplay.
"The Challenge" may be a possible acting vehicle for Clooney as Navy lawyer Charles Swift in the drama that will look at the trial of Osama Bin Laden's driver Salim Ahmed Hamdan.
The film will be based on Jonathan Mahler's tome "The Challenge: Hamdan cs. Rumsfeld and the Fight Over Presidential Power." Clooney will be produced with his Smoke House partner Grant Heslov.
Sorkin has already proven he can lead a marine court-martial drama. He was behind the 1989 play "A Few Good Men" and its 1992 film.
"The Challenge" may be a possible acting vehicle for Clooney as Navy lawyer Charles Swift in the drama that will look at the trial of Osama Bin Laden's driver Salim Ahmed Hamdan.
The film will be based on Jonathan Mahler's tome "The Challenge: Hamdan cs. Rumsfeld and the Fight Over Presidential Power." Clooney will be produced with his Smoke House partner Grant Heslov.
Sorkin has already proven he can lead a marine court-martial drama. He was behind the 1989 play "A Few Good Men" and its 1992 film.
- 2/3/2009
- icelebz.com
- Apart from his Facebook project, for the better part of the last two decades, Aaron Sorkin has been a political screenplay scribe for hire. Looks like he''ll be adapting the Smoke House (Heslov and Clooney) project based on Jonathan Mahler's book "The Challenge: Hamdan v. Rumsfeld and the Fight Over Presidential Power".The Challenge would see Clooney play Navy lawyer Charles Swift in the drama about the effort by Swift and Georgetown U. law professor Neal Katyal to ensure a fair trial for Osama bin Laden's driver, Salim Hamdan, who'd been held at Guantanamo Bay for five years. Hamdan was sentenced Aug. 7 by a panel of military officers at Guantanamo Bay to a prison term of 66 months, including time already served. The Yemeni-born convict was found guilty of material support for terrorism but cleared of the more serious charges of conspiracy to commit murder, seen by some
- 2/3/2009
- IONCINEMA.com
Warner Bros. Pictures has set Aaron Sorkin to write The Challenge , a courtroom drama for George Clooney's Smoke House, reports Variety . Clooney is producing with Smoke House partner Grant Heslov. Clooney may direct and hopes to play Navy lawyer Charles Swift in the drama about the effort by Swift and Georgetown U. law professor Neal Katyal to ensure a fair trial for Osama bin Laden's driver, Salim Hamdan, who'd been held at Guantanamo Bay for five years. WB and Smoke House got started on the project over the summer by optioning Jonathan Mahler book "The Challenge: Hamdan v. Rumsfeld and the Fight Over Presidential Power." The trade adds that the courtroom drama wouldn't debate Hamdan's guilt or innocence but chart the dogged efforts of the two lawyers who sue...
- 2/3/2009
- Comingsoon.net
Aaron Sorkin (Charlie Wilson's War) will write The Challenge, the true story of Navy lawyer Charles Swift, who sought to ensure a fair trial for Osama Bin Laden's driver Salim Hamdan, who'd been held at Guantanamo Bay for five years. It will be based on the Jonathan Mahler book 'The Challenge: Hamdan vs. Rumsfeld and the Fight Over Presidential Power'. George Clooney is producing through Smoke House and is likely to direct and star as Swift. Yeah, great, let's hook George up with one of...
- 2/3/2009
- by James Thoo
- JoBlo.com
Back in August we reported that George Clooney's production company Smoke House had acquired the rights to Jonathan Mahler's novel The Challenge. Now six months later, Warner Brothers has hired political screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, of A Few Good Men, "The West Wing", and Charlie Wilson's War, to adapt the screenplay for George Clooney to potentially direct and star in. The book is a non-fiction story about the lengthy campaign waged by Us Navy lawyer Charles Swift and Georgetown law professor Neal Katyal to ensure a fair trial for Salim Hamdan, the bodyguard and driver of Osama bin Laden. While The Challenge is a courtroom drama, the film won't debate Hamdan's guilt or innocence, but instead chart the efforts of the two lawyers who decide to sue the president because they feel the Us government has broken the law and violated the Constitution. With Sorkin writing the screenplay, we're...
- 2/3/2009
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
There is substantial movement on The Challenge, a courtroom drama that Warner Bros. and George Clooney picked up last fall as a possible starring vehicle and directorial project for the Oscar winner.
The film will be based on the book The Challenge: Hamdan v. Rumsfeld and the Fight Over Presidential Power by Jonathan Mahler, which chronicles the efforts by Navy lawyer Charles Swift to ensure a fair trial for Salim Hamdan, Osama bin Laden's driver, who spent years imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay.
The key development is that Warner Bros. has hired Aaron Sorkin to write the script, which Variety indicates will be on his to-do list after he finishes a script about the birth of Facebook. Yep, that's really happening.
The film will be based on the book The Challenge: Hamdan v. Rumsfeld and the Fight Over Presidential Power by Jonathan Mahler, which chronicles the efforts by Navy lawyer Charles Swift to ensure a fair trial for Salim Hamdan, Osama bin Laden's driver, who spent years imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay.
The key development is that Warner Bros. has hired Aaron Sorkin to write the script, which Variety indicates will be on his to-do list after he finishes a script about the birth of Facebook. Yep, that's really happening.
- 2/3/2009
- by Colin Boyd
- GetTheBigPicture.net
There may still be snow on the ground, but here's news to bring a warm glow to the hearts of liberals everywhere: George Clooney and Aaron "The West Wing" Sorkin are teaming up on The Challenge, a look at the trial (or rather not) of Osama Bin Laden's driver Salim Ahmed Hamdan.The film's not concerned with Hamdan's guilt or innocence but rather the fight by Navy lawyer Charles Swift and Georgetown University law professor Neal Katyal to challenge the legitimacy of the military tribunals set up under the Bush administration to try Guantanamo detainees like Hamdan. The two legal eagles took the fight to the Us Supreme Court which ruled (spoiler!) that it had the right to oversee the tribunals lest they be in violation of the Us Constitution, Us Uniform Code of Military Justice and Geneva Convention, tiny details that Rummy and Bush had kinda overlooked.Sorkin, who...
- 2/3/2009
- EmpireOnline
Warner Bros. has hired Aaron Sorkin (Charlie Wilson’s War) to write The Challenge, a courtroom drama that George Clooney's Smoke House banner is producing. The film is about Navy lawyer Charles Swift and Georgetown U. law professor Neal Katyal and their effort to ensure a fair trial for Osama bin Laden's driver, Salim Hamdan, who'd been held at Guantanamo Bay for five years. The courtroom drama wouldn't debate Hamdan's guilt or innocence but chart the dogged efforts of the two lawyers who sue the president because they feel the U.S. government has broken the law and violated the Constitution. Sorkin will adapt the screenplay from Jonathan Mahler’s book "The Challenge: Hamdan v. Rumsfeld and the Fight Over Presidential Power”. Captured in 2001 in Afghanistan while transporting two missiles in a car, Hamdan was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 5½ years by a military commission for providing material support to Al-Qaeda.
- 2/3/2009
- by James Cook
- TheMovingPicture.net
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