Jeremy Renner Joins Kill The Messenger

Marvel's The Avengers

star Jeremy Renner has been set to star in Kill The Messenger, which Deadline describes as "a thriller that Michael Cuesta will direct that is based on the tragic tale of a journalist who committed suicide after being smeared by the CIA." The script was written by Peter Landesman. Cuesta has directed Homeland episodes and is one of their key visual stylists, as well as directing the pilots for Dexter and Elementary. The film is based on the story of Gary Webb, a San Jose Mercury News reporter who reportedly killed himself (some dispute this) after he linked the CIA to a scheme to arm Contra rebels in Nicaragua and import cocaine into California. His paper, faced with pressure from the CIA and a smear campaign against Webb, backed off the story, leaving him open to litigation and effectively ending his career. After the fact, journalist George Sanchez would report that the CIA's internal investigation vindicated much of Webb's reporting and observes that despite the campaign against Webb, "the government eventually admitted to more than Gary had initially reported" over the years. The film has been in development for years, and is currently finding traction as the opposite number of something like Zero Dark Thirty where, in spite of the torture controversies, the CIA is largely depicted in a positive light. Landesman is currently directing Parkland, a film about the John F. Kennedy assassination in which Smallville star Tom Welling was just cast.