Steven Spielberg To Direct Pentagon Papers Movie Starring Tom Hanks & Meryl Streep

Multiple Oscar winners Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep will appear together on the big screen for the first time in The Post, Steven Spielberg‘s upcoming film about the Pentagon Papers scandal.

The film will cover the Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee and the newspaper’s publisher Katharine Graham as they fight for the right to publish top-secret documents from Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara’s account of the Vietnam war. After the Post had printed portions of the Pentagon papers provided by military analyst Daniel Ellsberg in June 1971, the Attorney General’s office demanded the newspaper cease publishing articles about the documents. The court battle that followed went all the way to the Supreme Court.

Hanks will portray the renowned editor Bradlee, while Streep plays the equally distinguished editor Graham. Hanks has previously worked with Spielberg on films like Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal and Bridge of Spies. Spielberg also employed Street’s voice in his film A.I.

Spielberg Pentagon Papers Movie

Between the three stars, they’ve won nine Academy Awards. Hanks has recently received positive reviews for his portrayal in Sully, while Streep received her Oscar 20th nod for her Florence Foster Jenkins. Spielberg had received a rare negative rating for his adaption of The BFG, but is also in post-production for the sci-fi thriller Ready Player.

It’s yet to be determined when production for the film will begin, since all three stars have packed schedules.