In many ways, Steven Spielberg is to the movie world what Walter Cronkite was to the news world. That said, Deadline’s report that the former will soon direct a movie about the latter seems to make all the sense in the world.
Spielberg has reportedly teamed up with Bridge of Spies writer Matt Charman and producer Marc Platt for the project, which is still in its very early stages. The plot of the film will focus on the role Cronkite played in swaying public opinion during the Vietnam War, and will be more tightly focused than the broad, sweeping biopics we’re so used to seeing.
It’s important to remember that no one has signed on the dotted line just yet, but this idea seems to have Spielberg written all over it. We’ll have to hope the director can squeeze it into a busy schedule that already includes Indiana Jones 5, Ready Player One, and The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara. On top of his directing slate, Spielberg is always producing about a dozen projects at a time and he has at least that many on tap right now.
For the uninitiated, Walter Cronkite was an anchor for the CBS Evening News who was known as the “most trusted man in America.” His influence on public opinion was so pronounced that, when he began to have misgivings about the Vietnam War effort, President Lyndon B. Johnson reportedly said, “If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost Middle America.”
No word yet on who might star in the film or when it might be released, but stay tuned and we’ll keep you updated as news breaks.
In the meantime, you can catch the Spielberg-directed BFG on July 1. The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara and Ready Player One are due out in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
As for Cronkite, his final sign off is embedded above — “And that’s the way it is.”
