It’s been over a year since Edward Zwick signed up to direct Tobey Maguire in the Bobby Fischer biopic Pawn Sacrifice, but it’s only now that it’s moving forward with the news that Peter Sarsgaard and Liev Schreiber are in talks to star, according to THR.
The Cold War-era drama follows chess legend Bobby Fischer (Tobey Maguire), who became the youngest grand master in chess history. The main action of the film takes place in 1972 when, after an unprecedented winning streak, Fischer reached the world championship finals against the seemingly unbeatable Soviet master Boris Spassky (Schreiber). Peter Sarsgaard is playing a priest who becomes Fischer’s confidante during this period.
Steven Knight (Chef, Eastern Promises) wrote the screenplay. The project has been around for several year, as David Fincher flirted with directing March 2010. However it’s now due to go into production with Zwick helming next month.