4/03/2014
Brad Pitt May Produce Film on the Steubenville Rape Case
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have use their celebrity to champion a number of causes, and we've seen some of that reflected in the movies they make, which occasionally tackle hot button issues. For Pitt, his Plan B production shingle is where he tends to wade into controversial subject matter, and he's just picked up the rights to a story that certainly qualifies.
Pitt and Plan B have picked up the rights to David Kushner's Rolling Stone article, "Anonymous vs. Steubenville", about how the rabble-rousing hacker group exposed the coverup of a rape case. When a teenaged girl was raped by two high school football players in Steubenville, OH, who were callous enough to leave evidence all over social media, local authorities came together to coverup the case. It was Anonymous who found evidence of the crime and the coverup, leading to a nationwide protest, tons of media coverage, and indictments for all involved.
The story will follow hacker Deric Lostutter, who ironically faces ten years in prison for helping to bring those charges to the surface. No word on a writer, director, or star, but Pitt was quick to take a role in 12 Years a Slave to help get that film made. He may be tempted to do the same here.
It's probably best to take this with a grain of salt until it's actually confirmed. These Tracking Board stories don't always pan out, but this is one that I hope does.