Although Ed Zwick sometimes gets a bit of stick for his movies, he’s one of the few directors who’s consistently tried to take important stories to the mainstream, which films like Defiance and Blood Diamond. Now he has signed up to direct Pawn Sacrifice, with Tobey Maguire attached to star and produce.
The project is based on the true story of American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer’s famous world championship match against Russia’s Boris Spassky in 1972. Tobey Maguire will portray Bobby Fischer, with producers currently seeking an actor to play his Russian counterpart. And knowing Zwick, he’ll want to play up how important this became as a symbolic Cold War grudge match.
David Fincher was set to direct back in 2010 but he’s since moved on, with the project having been a bit stuck since then, even though the screenplay is well regarded. Steven Knight (Eastern Promises) wrote the screenplay. It isn’t known when they movie might shoot, but Edward Zwick is also attached to direct The Great Wall for Legendary Pictures, which may well come first. (Source: Deadline)