Eddie Redmayne in talks to star in Aaron Sorkin's 'Trial of the Chicago 7'

Actor Eddie Redmayne is in negotiations to feature in the director Aaron Sorkin’s political drama The Trial of the Chicago 7. The film will narrate the story of the 1969 trial in which anti-war activists such as Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin and Tom Hayden were accused of conspiracy and incitement to riot by the US government due to the protests surrounding the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

If the deal is finalised, the 36-year-old British actor will play play Tom Hayden, the co-founder of the Students for a Democratic Society, who was best known for his role as an anti-war, civil rights, and radical intellectual activist in the 1960s, reported Variety.

Earlier, actor Sacha Baron Cohen was in talks to star in the film.

The 47-year-old actor is being eyed for the role of Abbie Hoffman, the anarchic co-founder of the Youth International Party, who came to be known as Yippies.

Sorkin has penned the screenplay. Earlier, veteran director Steven Spielberg was planning to helm but a writers’ strike forced him to delay the film.

After the success of his directorial debut “Molly’s Game”, Sorkin officially assumed the directing duties of the new film.

“The Trial of the Chicago 7” will be produced by Marc Platt.

Redmayne is currently awaiting the release of his next feature “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”. The film hits the theatres worldwide on November 16.