Protesting goes Hollywood

Posted at 10:30 AM on September 24, 2007 by Sanden Totten

Remember back in April when In The Loop interviewed some protesters about their plans for the 2008 Republican National Convention? The protesters kept saying that if all goes well St Paul could be the next Seattle.

It's true, the Seattle World Trade Organization protests certainly have a mythology around them. For many activists, being there is comparable to being at Woodstock for the boomer generation. And much like how Woodstock was eventually co-opted and commercialized by the media, it looks like the WTO protests are going mainstream too.

In December Battle in Seattle is slated to hit the theaters. It's a full-length re-telling of the infamous protests starring none other than Hollywood rabble rouser Woody Harrelson. Also expect such anti-authoritarians as Charlize Theron, Ray Liotta and Andre 3000.

And here I was thinking that the only way to make money off of a protest was to sue the city where the event was held after it made improper arrests and curbed your free speech. That's how Seattle lost over 1 million dollars after the real "battle in Seattle".

But now savvy protesters will know better . . . don't just take them to court, make sure you get the movie rights too.

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