Open Road Films has set an October 13, 2017 theatrical release date for the dramatic film, Marshall, based on the life of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther, 42) stars in the title role and Josh Gad (Frozen, Beauty and the Beast) plays lawyer Samuel Friedman. The cast also includes Kate Hudson (Almost Famous), Dan Stevens (Legion, Beauty and the Beast), James Cromwell (The Young Pope), Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us, The People v. O.J. Simpson), and Keesha Sharp (Lethal Weapon).
Marshall was produced with the support of Thurgood Marshall and Samuel Friedman’s estates. Reginald Hudlin directs from a script by lawyer Michael Koskoff and his son, Jacob Koskoff (Macbeth). Hudlin, Paula Wagner, and Jonathan Sanger produced Marshall.
“I can’t wait for the world to see this movie,” said director Hudlin. “It’s a thriller, not a biopic, about an early case of one of the greatest lawyers in American history. In a time when we need heroes who fight for justice, Marshall is an inspirational movie that brings people together. And it’s a lot more fun than anyone expects.”
“Thurgood Marshall spent his whole life fighting for justice and his story has never been more relevant. We are living in volatile times and this film, as well as the entire career of Justice Marshall, serves as a potent reminder that fighting injustice is as important today as it was before and during the Civil Rights Movement. We are incredibly proud of all the work that went into Marshall – particularly the top-notch filmmaking from director Reginald Hudlin and producer Paula Wagner, as well as fantastic performances from Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad, Kate Hudson, Sterling K. Brown, Dan Stevens, James Cromwell and the entire cast. We are looking forward to sharing this film with all Americans and audiences around the world,” stated Open Road Films CEO Tom Ortenberg.
The Plot: Marshall is based on a true incident in the life of Thurgood Marshall, when he was a young lawyer, long before his appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. As the nation teeters on the brink of WWII, a nearly bankrupt NAACP sends Marshall to conservative Connecticut to defend a black chauffeur against his wealthy socialite employer in a sexual assault and attempted murder trial that quickly became tabloid fodder. In need of a high profile victory but muzzled by a segregationist court, Marshall is partnered with Samuel Friedman, a young Jewish lawyer who has never tried a case. Marshall and Friedman struggle against a hostile storm of fear and prejudice, driven to discover the truth in the sensationalized trial which helped set the groundwork for the Civil Rights Movement to come.
