Based on its cast alone, Spotlight is one of my most-anticipated films of 2015.  Directed and co-written by Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent), the drama stars Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, Stanley Tucci, John Slattery, and Billy Crudup.  The plot revolves around the true story of Boston Globe reporters exposing the Catholic Church's cover-up of sexual abuse.

ScreenDaily has premiered the first Spotlight image, which includes (from left to right) Keaton, Schreiber, Ruffalo, Adams, Slattery, and Brian d’Arcy James.

spotlight-keaton-schreiber-ruffalo-mcadams-1

Here's the official synopsis:

In 2001, the Boston Globe began an investigation that would rock the city and shock the world.  SPOTLIGHT tells the story of that investigation, the story of Marty Baron (Schreiber), Ben Bradlee Jr. (Slattery) and the four members of the Globe’s investigative Spotlight team – Walter Robinson (Keaton), Mike Rezendes (Ruffalo), Sacha Pfeiffer (McAdams) and Matt Carroll (James) – who would sacrifice everything to expose the Boston Archdiocese’s systemic cover up of sexual abuse of children by ordained priests. For years, whispers of scandal were ignored by society, the media, by police and by the legal system. Silenced by shame, victims of sexual abuse often became victims of suicide. For their commitment to truth, the Spotlight team received the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.

We don't get enough investigative journalism movies, and as the film's press release notes, the film "points to the necessity of good, local journalism, the type of journalism that has been decimated over the past fifteen years by the decline of the newspaper industry.  SPOTLIGHT explores the larger themes of complicity and deference, attempting to grapple with the question of how an evil so widespread could go undetected for so long."

There's no official release date yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if the film ends up trying to compete in the awards race.