Aaron Sorkin’s version of Atticus Finch is coming after all

A real-life courtroom drama over Aaron Sorkin’s forthcoming Broadway version of To Kill a Mockingbird appears to have ended, and the production will proceed as planned. The producers of the play, along with the estate of the late Harper Lee, released a joint statement today saying they have kissed and made up.

On May 10, 2018, Rudinplay and the Estate of Nelle Harper Lee amicably settled ongoing litigation concerning the upcoming Broadway production of To Kill a Mockingbird. Written by Aaron Sorkin, the play will be directed by Bartlett Sher and will star Jeff Daniels in the role of Atticus Finch. The production will proceed on schedule, with opening night set for December 13, 2018, at the Shubert Theater. Previews will begin on November 1, 2018.

Lee’s estate had sued to halt the production earlier this year, apparently because it was unhappy with some of Sorkin’s creative liberties. Specifically, Sorkin was said to have painted fictional hero Atticus Finch as somewhat more ambivalent toward racism than he is portrayed in the novel. Tonja B. Carter, who runs the estate, asserted that she had final say over the script.

Left unsaid in today’s statement is whether or not Sorkin ultimately got his way. But regardless, it looks the show will go on, so Harper Lee fans can rejoice. Or cry. I guess it depends on how you feel about Sorkin.