Rush to judgment
Atlanta newspaper spars with Clint Eastwood over new movie
Warner Bros. bosses are determined to fight a defamation threat from the publishers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution over Clint Eastwood’s new film, Richard Jewell.
The movie focuses on the events surrounding the discovery of a bomb at the 1996 Olympics, and the security guard who found it, who was initially hailed a hero until a media report suggested he may have planted the bomb. As a result, the security guard became one of the most persecuted people in America overnight.
Newspaper bosses at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
are unhappy with the way their journalists, especially the late Kathy Scruggs, are portrayed in the film. Scruggs, played by Olivia Wilde, broke the story that suggested Jewell may have planted the explosive.
Their lawyer, Marty Singer, fired off a letter to studio bosses and Eastwood this week urging them to “immediately issue a statement publicly acknowledging that some events were imagined for dramatic purposes and artistic license and dramatization were used in the film’s portrayal of events and characters.”
But the studio bosses are determined to stand up to one of America’s largest newspapers over claims that portions of the movie are defamatory.
“The film is based on a wide range of highly credible source material,” a statement reads. “There is no disputing that Richard Jewell was an innocent man whose reputation and life were shredded by a miscarriage of justice.
“It is unfortunate and the ultimate irony that the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, having been a part of the rush to judgment of Richard Jewell, is now trying to malign our filmmakers and cast. Richard Jewell focuses on the real victim, seeks to tell his story, confirm his innocence and restore his name.”
The studio bosses have also made it clear the film, hitting theatres Friday, will feature a disclaimer at the end, which reads: “The film is based on actual historical events. Dialogue and certain events and characters contained in the film were created for the purposes of dramatization.”