<Tr> <Th> Budget </Th> <Td> $30 million </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Box office </Th> <Td> $53.4 million </Td> </Tr> <P> Molly's Game is a 2017 American crime drama film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin (in his directorial debut), based on the memoir Molly's Game: The True Story of the 26 - Year - Old Woman Behind the Most Exclusive, High - Stakes Underground Poker Game in the World by Molly Bloom . It stars Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Brian d'Arcy James, Chris O'Dowd, Bill Camp, Graham Greene, Claire Rankin, Joe Keery, and Jeremy Strong . The film follows Bloom (Chastain), who becomes the target of an FBI investigation of the underground poker empire she runs for Hollywood celebrities, athletes, business tycoons, and the Russian mob . </P> <P> Principal photography began in November 2016 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada . The film premiered on September 8, 2017, at the Toronto International Film Festival, and began a limited theatrical release in the United States on December 25, 2017, by STXfilms, before expanding wide on January 5, 2018 . Molly's Game received positive reviews, with particular praise for Sorkin's screenplay, as well as Chastain and Elba's performances, with Chastain's being called one of the best of her career by some critics . The film earned Chastain a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress--Drama while Sorkin earned nominations for his screenplay at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Writers Guild of America Awards and BAFTA Awards . </P>

Who are the characters in molly's game based on