The upcoming legal drama “Nuremberg,” written and directed by James Vanderbilt and starring Russell Crowe as Nazi war criminal Hermann Göring, has been acquired by Sony Pictures Classics and set up a November 7, 2025 release date. It is quietly positioning itself as a awards-season contender—and maybe even the comeback vehicle Crowe desperately needed.
The film, which was written and directed by Vanderbilt, is based on Jack El-Hai’s book “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist.” It stars stars Crowe and Rami Malek, Michael Shannon, John Slattery and Richard E. Grant.
Set after World War II, Nuremberg follows American psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek) as he assesses the mental fitness of Nazi war criminals. His focus turns to a tense psychological battle with Göring (Crowe), Hitler’s ruthless second-in-command.
Best known for scripting “Zodiac” (2007), Vanderbilt has had a curious Hollywood run. He’s proven he can swing between prestige fare and big studio IP —delivering razor-sharp procedural tension in Zodiac, and more recently, and revitalizing the ‘Scream’ franchise.
“Nuremberg” marks Vanderbilt’s second feature as director, after 2015’s underrated “Truth,” an entertaining Robert Redford/Cate Blanchett newsroom drama.
Crowe, meanwhile, has been phoning it in for over a decade. After peaking with a run in the early 2000s that included “The Insider,” “Gladiator,” “A Beautiful Mind,” and “Master and Commander,” he’s spent the better part of the last 15 years drifting through projects that barely made it past VOD—or worse, indulging in self-parody. “The Pope’s Exorcist,” “Poker Face” (his forgettable directorial effort)—none of them capitalized on the charisma that once made him an electric screen presence of his generation.
It’s not that he’s incapable of greatness anymore. It’s that he hasn’t been trying. Whether out of disinterest, burnout, or sheer paycheck motivation, the Crowe of the 2010s and early 2020s has seemed content to coast. There were glimmers of life in “The Nice Guys,” but nothing remotely close to the controlled intensity he used to wield.
“Nuremberg,” then, is promising in all the right ways. The material is fascinating: Göring is exactly the sort of morally compromised historical figure that Crowe can sink his teeth into. No exorcisms. Just a real performance.
Cory Finley, a talented filmmaker, has directed three films so far: "Thoroughbreds" (2017), "Bad Education” (2020), and "Landscape with Invisible Hand.”