The Trial of the Chicago 7, which was supposed to be Steven Spielberg's next film, has been delayed. The movie, which explores the infamous trial of the protesters from the 1968 Democratic convention, had tentatively been scheduled to begin production in April.

According to Spielberg's longtime spokesman, Marvin Levy, Chicago still may be Spielberg's next endeavor -- it's the furthest along of all his projects -- but the script, written by Aaron Sorkin, needs work, and the 100-day writers' strike delayed the project so long that it couldn't be ready for an April start date.

One source tells EW.com that research staff working on the film has been let go. Levy wouldn't comment. Sacha Baron Cohen is in talks to play counter culture icon Abbie Hoffman, but no deal has been confirmed. Dreamworks had initially hoped to announce some casting decisions this week, but have no plans to do so now, Levy said.

Source: EW