Chris Pine to Star As Walter Cronkite in NEWSFLASH

Greg Silverman's Stampede announced today that Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (THE CURRENT WAR: DIRECTOR'S CUT, ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL) will direct the feature film NEWSFLASH. Chris Pine (WONDER WOMAN 1984; HELL OR HIGH WATER; STAR TREK) is confirmed to star as Walter Cronkite. Production will begin in February 2020 in New York City.

AGC International, the international sales arm of AGC Studios, is handling international sales on the title for Stampede at the American Film Market (AFM) in Santa Monica. Stampede and CAA Media Finance arranged for the film's financing. Additionally, CAA and Endeavor Content will co-represent the domestic rights for the film.

NEWSFLASH takes place on November 22nd, 1963, when Walter Cronkite put everything on the line to get the story right as a president was killed, a frightened nation wept, and television came of age.

Cronkite would go on to become the "most trusted man in America," with many citing that day as the pivotal moment that made his news career. Americans since have come to understand events of the Cronkite era through his voice: the space race, Watergate, the Iran hostage crisis, assassinations of RFK, Martin Luther King, and John Lennon, and the Vietnam War, in which the tide of American public opinion turned when Cronkite finally expressed his disapproval.

NEWSFLASH was written by Ben Jacoby, which was featured on the BLACK LIST. Producers include Silverman, Gideon Yu, Lisa Zambri of Stampede with Jonathan Lim of City Hill Arts and Adam Kolbrenner (PRISONERS) of Lit Entertainment Group.

Said Gomez-Rejon, "Ben's script beautifully captured what it felt like to be in the newsroom on that fateful day. I see it as an origin story about a hero born at a time when seeking the truth and uniting a country was more important than winning and ratings, which has never felt more prescient."

"Alfonso has an unparalleled gift for capturing the ephemeral moments in life and MAKING HISTORY feel more present than ever. He's an extremely gifted filmmaker and his vision for NEWFLASH is one that will unite every generation who knows this story - and some who only thought they did," said Greg Silverman.

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 is currently in post-production on Kelly Oxford's PINK SKIES AHEAD and in pre-production on Albert Hughes' NORTH HOLLYWOOD.

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