The Trial of the Chicago 7 is an historical legal drama written and directed by Aaron Sorkin. The film follows the Chicago Seven, a group of anti–Vietnam War protesters charged with conspiracy and crossing state lines with the intention of inciting riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The Group was originally the Chicago 8 with Bobby Seale being played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II at the start of the trial. The rest of the Seven defendants were portrayed by Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeremy Strong, John Carroll Lynch, Alex Sharp, Noah Robbins, and Daniel Flaherty. The ensemble cast includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mark Rylance, Frank Langella, and Michael Keaton,