Billy Ray (Richard Jewell, Captain Phillips) and Adam McKay (Don’t Look Up, Vice) are joining forces to present a feature film based on the January 6 assault on the US Capitol. Ray is writing and directing the J6 film, with Adam McKay producing alongside Todd Schulman, Josh McLaughlin, Cullen Hoback, and Shane Salerno.
Saddened and disturbed by the events that took place on the US Capitol grounds on January 6, Ray traveled to Washington D.C. within days of the siege. While there, he interviewed a number of individuals while memories of the attack were raw and fresh. Deadline says that these interviews include talks with Capitol police officers Michael Fanone and Harry Dunn, as well as members of Congress who were trapped inside the Capitol when the violent insurrection unfolded. Fanone consulted on the screenplay throughout the process.
“The goal was to do a ground-level view of a momentous day,” said Ray. “It’s about protesters who became rioters and cops who became defenders of democracy. Someone else can tell the story of the chaos at the White House on that day. I wanted to stay in the trenches.”
According to Deadline, McKay read the script while preparing for the release of Don’t Look Up on Netflix. He was so moved by Ray’s words and passion for the material that he sought to become involved as a producer. Ray’s J6 film was originally set up as a five-episode limited series at Showtime, though the project is now up for grabs. Ray initially drafted a 300-page script, which has since been turned into a 120-page feature script that feels like a new endeavor entirely.
“Billy has written a screenplay that is not only harrowing and terrifying but is sure to become the definitive cinematic document on that gut-wrenching day,” McKay said.
Will you be watching Billy Ray’s J6 film when it arrives either in theaters or through a streaming platform? Let us know in the comments section below.