Ben Stiller may direct 'Trial of the Chicago 7'

DreamWorks may be trying to get “The Trial of the Chicago 7” into production as fast as possible, but without a director, the project is certainly not heading anywhere.

Steven Spielberg was attached to helm the flick for a while, but a deal was never officially sealed. We also read about Paul Greengrass being in talks to direct, but that didn’t really work out either.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the latest to join the candidates for the spot of the director is Ben Stiller, who at first looks like an odd choice for what is described as a “serious” film.

With “The Cable Guy,” “Zoolander” and “Tropic Thunder” in his pocket, Stiller definitely has the experience to direct comedies. But is he ready to tackle a project that is not funny or goofy?

“The Trial of the Chicago 7” focuses on the 1968 riots at the Democratic convention. Apparently, the project has quite a high priority over at DreamWorks.

Final word: Give Ben a chance. He may actually be able to pull this one off, provided the script delivers the goods.