Spielberg. Streep. Hanks. Need we say more. Even though he shot Ready Player One before it, Steven Spielberg's next movie is The Post. 20th Century Fox has released the official trailer, with the movie getting a limited release on December 22 to make it eligible for awards season. After playing in select Los Angeles and New York theaters, The Post will get a wide release on January 12.
Steven Spielberg directs Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks in The Post, a thrilling drama about the unlikely partnership between The Washington Post's Katharine Graham (Streep), the first female publisher of a major American newspaper, and editor Ben Bradlee (Hanks), as they race to catch up with The New York Times to expose a massive cover-up of government secrets that spanned three decades and four U.S. Presidents. The two must overcome their differences as they risk their careers - and their very freedom - to help bring long-buried truths to light.
The Post marks the first time Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg have collaborated on a project. In addition to directing, Spielberg produces along with Amy Pascal and Kristie Macosko Krieger. The script was written by Liz Hannah and Josh Singer, and the film features an acclaimed ensemble cast including Alison Brie, Carrie Coon, David Cross, Bruce Greenwood, Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, Jesse Plemons, Matthew Rhys, Michael Stuhlbarg, Bradley Whitford and Zach Woods.
A cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents pushed the country's first female newspaper publisher and a hard-driving editor to join an unprecedented battle between journalist and government. Meryl Streep plays Washington Post publisher Kay Graham, who teamed up with her volatile editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) to support The New York Times in their release of The Pentagon Papers, which was leaked to the Times by analyst Daniel Ellsberg, who worked on the initial study that proved the Lyndon B. Johnson administration had lied to the American public and Congress about the extent of their involvement in the Vietnam War. This lead to then-current President Richard Nixon to file a federal injunction to have the New York Times cease publication of the Pentagon Papers after three articles.
The newspaper quickly filed an appeal that rose through the U.S. courts system, and just days later, The Washington Post began publishing their first articles on The Pentagon Papers, with Daniel Ellsberg releasing portions of the Papers to Post reporter Ben Bagdikian (Bob Odenkirk), who then shared them with Bradlee and Graham. U.S. Attorney General William Rehnquist requested an injunction to be filed against the Post, but it was denied, a decision that was appealed by the government that ultimately lead to the Supreme Court hearing the case, while 15 other newspapers were given portions of the Papers and began publishing their reports. The Supreme Court ruled against the U.S. Government, 6-3. The Times reportedly only published roughly 5% of the initial 7,000-page report, which was published by the University of Texas in 1983, with The National Security Archive publishing the remainder of the Papers in 2002, although the Papers remained technically classified until 2011.
The Post is going up against a few big wide releases on December 22 as it positions itself for a Christmas release. Movie fans will also be treated to Universal's Pitch Perfect 3, Warner Bros.' Bastards, and Paramount's Downsizing. As for its wide release on January 12, 2018, The Post will square off against Lionsgate's The Commuter, and Studio 8's White Boy Rick. Take your first look as Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep make their first movie together, which could bring home all the Oscar gold next year, courtesy of Universal Pictures.
