AFM: 'The Current War' Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon Joins 'Newsflash'

Chris Pine plays legendary anchorman Walter Cronkite in a story set on the day Cronkite must report the assassination of President Kennedy.

The Current War helmer Alfonso Gomez-Rejon has signed on to direct Newsflash, a biographical drama about legendary anchorman Walter Cronkite and the day he reported to the nation on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Chris Pine will play Cronkite in the drama, which is currently in pre-production with principal shooting planned for February next year in New York.

Greg Silverman’s Stampede is producing Newsflash. Ben Jacoby wrote the script. Producers include Silverman, Gideon Yu and Lisa Zambri of Stampede with Jonathan Lim of City Hill Arts and Adam Kolbrenner of Lit Entertainment Group.

Gomez-Rejon had his feature breakthrough with 2015 Sundance hit Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. His follow up, The Current War — a period drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Shannon—was set up as an awards-season contender in 2017. But the movie was caught up in the bankruptcy of The Weinstein Company, which produced it.

The film spent more than a year in limbo before Gomez-Rejon regained control and re-cut and rescored the picture, which was finally released this year.

Stampede and CAA Media Finance are arranging financing for Newsflash. AGC International, the international sales arm of AGC Studios, is handling international sales at the American Film Market. CAA and Endeavor Content will co-represent the domestic rights for the film.

Pine is represented by CAA, John Carrabino Management and Gendler & Kelly. Gomez-Rejon is represented by WME and LBI Entertainment. Jacoby is represented by Verve/Lit Entertainment Group.

Stampede's upcoming slate includes Kelly Oxford's Pink Skies Ahead, which is currently in post-production, and, in pre-production, Albert Hughes' North Hollywood.

A previous version of this story misstated Stampede and CAA Media Finance's involvement in the Newsflash financing. They are arranging financing for the film not financing the film.

This story first appeared in The Hollywood Reporter's Nov. 7 daily issue at the American Film Market.