Mark Wahlberg to Produce Boston Marathon Bombing Movie ‘Patriots’ Day’
CBS Films is fast-tracking the project, which boasts the screenwriter of Steven Spielberg’s next movie
Jeff Sneider | March 31, 2015 @ 3:40 PM
Last Updated: March 31, 2015 @ 4:30 PM
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Boston-bred Mark Wahlberg is set to produce a movie about the Boston Marathon bombing titled “Patriots’ Day” for CBS Films, the studio announced Tuesday.
Joining Wahlberg as producers will be Scott Stuber and Dylan Clark of Bluegrass Films as well as Stephen Levinson and Michael Radutzky. Bluegrass’ Nick Nesbitt will executive produce.
The story is envisioned as an intense thriller, spanning the five-day search up to the infamous siege where Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was pulled from a boat in Watertown, Massachusetts.
The script, which is based on Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis’ first-hand account of the tragic 2013 events, is currently being written by Matt Charman, who wrote Steven Spielberg‘s upcoming “Bridge of Spies” starring Tom Hanks.
Commissioner Davis worked closely with the FBI, Watertown Police Department, Boston Police Department, Massachusetts State Police and local first responders to track, identify and apprehend the suspected bombers. Their tactics included the use of sophisticated ID technology and giving the historic order to put the city of Boston under lockdown as they rushed to capture the suspects.
Davis currently serves as the security analyst on WBZ News Boston and has served as a visiting fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
“Patriots’ Day” marks CBS Films’ first project with “60 Minutes” senior producer Radutzky, who leads the broadcast’s creative development unit, 60 Minutes Productions. CBS Films has secured Davis’ life rights as well as all of the information in connection with the “60 Minutes” story he appeared in.
“There is nothing more compelling than a real story populated by real heroes,” said CBS Films president Terry Press. “The team that we have assembled for this project is determined to give audiences a very personal look at what occurred during the days when the eyes of the world were on the city of Boston and how a group of contemporary patriots faced this crisis.”
20th Century Fox is developing a rival project titled “Boston Strong” that has Daniel Espinosa attached to direct. Casey Affleck was once attached to star, but he is no longer involved and has distanced himself from the film.
9 Infamous Hollywood Murders, From Black Dahlia to Sharon Tate (Photos)
TheWrap takes a look back at some of the grisliest killings in L.A. history
1947: The brutal murder of Elizabeth Short, a 22-year-old woman nicknamed "Black Dahlia," remains one of Hollywood's most grisly unsolved crimes and has since sparked numerous TV, film and literary adaptations.
Santa Barbara Police Department
1969: Charles Manson, leader of the so-called "Manson Family," ordered the deaths of actress Sharon Tate; writer Wojciech Frykowski and his partner, the coffee bean heiress Abigail Folger; and celebrity hairstylist Jay Sebring and several friends at the Beverly Hills home of director Roman Polanski.
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1976: Sal Mineo, the star of "Rebel Without a Cause," was stabbed to death near the Sunset Strip. Pizza deliveryman Lionel Ray Williams was later arrested and convicted of the murder.
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1978: The "Hogan's Heroes" star Bob Crane was found bludgeoned to death in his Arizona apartment. John Henry Carpenter was arrested and charged with the murder in 1992.
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1994: Former NFL star O.J. Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman were found stabbed to death at her Brentwood home. The former football star-turned-actor was arrested and charged with the double homicide but found not guilty in a notorious trial.
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1998: "Saturday Night Live" star Phil Hartman was shot and killed in his sleep in his Encino home by his wife, Brynn Omdahl, who then turned the gun on herself.
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2003: Phil Spector, a music producer famed for his so-called Wall of Sound, was convicted in 2009 of the 2003 shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson in his own home.
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Investigation Discovery
2010: The celebrated publicist Ronni Chasen was killed in an apparent robbery while driving home from the premiere of the Cher movie "Burlesque." The man who is believed by police to have killed her has since committed suicide.
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2012: Nearly a year after his disappearance, former Fox executive Gavin Smith's car was found at a Simi Valley storage facility that was connected to John Creech, and Smith’s remains were discovered in a shallow grave in the Angeles National Forest. Creech was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to 11 years in prison.
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TheWrap takes a look back at some of the grisliest killings in L.A. history
TheWrap takes a look back at some of the grisliest killings in L.A. history