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Brad Pitt planning film about Steubenville rape case

STEUBENBILLE, Ohio — Actor-director Brad Pitt and his production company, Plan B, are planning to bring a film about the Steubenville, Ohio, rape case to the big screen, according to The Tracking Report, a Hollywood blog.

The company, which includes Pitt's partners Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, bought the rights to David Kushner's November 2013 Rolling Stone story “Anonymous vs. Steubenville,” which focused on Deric Lostutter, a member of the “hacktivist” group Anonymous. Lostutter helped expose the cover-up of the rape of a 16-year-old Weirton, W.Va., girl by two Steubenville football players.

Lostutter told the Tribune-Review last year that he became involved in the rape case after seeing disturbing photos and Twitter posts from parties that dozens of drunken teenagers attended in August 2012. He said he feared officials would cover up the case because the suspects — Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16 — starred on the popular Big Red football team.

“I got mad,” said Lostutter of Lexington, Ky. “I didn't want this girl's rape to be swept under the rug. So I took to social media, basically, and it spread like wildfire.”

Lostutter's home was raided in April 2013 for evidence he hacked into the Steubenville High School website. Lostutter is facing 10 years in jail for obtaining tweets and social media posts that contained details about the rape.

In March 2013, a judge ruled Mays and Richards delinquent, the juvenile equivalent of a guilty verdict, on rape charges. Mays was sentenced to two years in a juvenile facility and Richmond to one year. Richmond was released in January. The case led to the indictment of five school officials in connection with the cover-up.

Plan B, which produced the Oscar winning film “12 Years a Slave,” is seeking a screenwriter for the project.

This article was written by Channel 11’s news exchange partners at TribLIVE.