Even before “Richard Jewell” premiered on Wednesday night at AFI Fest, the Clint Eastwood drama was already a part of this year’s Oscar conversation.

Not only is it the 40th film directed by the 89-year-old Hollywood legend, but it tells the true story of Richard Jewell, the security guard who was targeted by the FBI as the prime suspect in the bombing in Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. At first, Jewell became an overnight hero for discovering the knapsack containing the pipe bombs but an overzealous FBI investigation quickly zeroed in on him as the main suspect in the bombing. A report identifying Jewell in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution sparked an international media circus that destroyed his name in the court of public opinion.

The story of an underdog facing off against the government and seemingly unethical media should play well with Academy voters. Hauser’s
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