A new drama will feature two acclaimed actors in a film exploring whether madness or malice drove the Third Reich’s reign of terror.
In “Nuremberg,” Oscar-award winner Russell Crowe will play Nazi propagandist Hermann Göring, opposite Oscar-winner Rami Malek as Douglas Kelley, the psychiatrist tasked with determining whether he should stand trial for his crimes against humanity.
The film is being directed by James Vanderbilt, whose previous film, 2015’s “Truth,” also relied on real-life events, exposing journalist and longtime TV news anchor Dan Rather following the use of bogus documents about former President George W. Bush’s military service. He wrote the screenplay for the film, which he adapted from the book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist by Jack El-Hai.
Filming is expected to start next month in Hungary.
Crowe received a Best Actor Oscar for the 2000 Best Picture “Gladiator.” Malek won a Best Actor Oscar for his role as Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in the 2018 docu-drama “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Both actors will play real-life people in “Nuremberg,” an approach that earned Crowe previous Oscar nominations for 1999’s “The Insider” as well as 2001’s “A Beautiful Mind.” Malek recently received critical praise for his performance in last year’s “Oppenheimer” as another real-life historical figure—nuclear physicist David L. Hill, who contributed to the Manhattan Project.
Göring was one of the most powerful leaders in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945. He committed suicide on Oct. 15, 1946, the day before his scheduled execution.