A trailer has landed for Meryl Streep-starrer “The Post,” and while the drama is set in 1971, the subject matter remains terrifyingly timely. The highly anticipated pic follows the White House’s desperate bid to conceal the truth, and a female leader who’s constantly underestimated and undermined — all-too-familiar terrain in 2017.
Based on a true story, “The Post” depicts the “unlikely partnership between The Washington Post’s Katharine Graham (Streep), the first female publisher of a major American newspaper, and editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks), as they race to catch up with The New York Times to expose a massive cover-up of government secrets that spanned three decades and four U.S. Presidents,” its official synopsis details. “The two must overcome their differences as they risk their careers — and their very freedom — to help bring long-buried truths to light.”
Working tirelessly to uncover highly classified documents that will rock the nation, Graham also has to deal with sexist doubts about her ability to lead. “People are concerned about having a woman in charge of the paper — that she doesn’t have the resolve to make the tough choices,” she’s told by the Post’s chairman (Bradley Whitford).
But she’s not in this fight alone. “To make this decision — to risk her fortune and the company that’s been her entire life, well, I think that’s brave,” says Tony Bradlee (Sarah Paulson), Ben’s sister-in-law.
While she’s warned that publishing The Pentagon Papers may result in a prison sentence and the dissolution of The Post, Graham persists. “If we don’t hold [the government] accountable, who will?” she asks.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, “The Post” will open in select cities December 22 with a wide release to follow January 12, 2018. Newcomer Liz Hannah and Josh Singer (“Spotlight”) penned the script. The former is attached to write a 9/11 Air Force One drama for MGM.