Dear Hollywood, It’s Too Soon To Promote The Boston Marathon Bombings Movie

Photo via AP Photo/Charles Krupa

Less than three short months after the tragic events at the Boston Marathon, wounds are still healing, both figuratively and literally, for many people in this city. So naturally, Hollywood already feels the need to hype a movie based on the events.

We wrote earlier that screenwriters Eric Johnson and Paul Tamasy, co-writers of Oscar-winning film The Fighter, have picked up feature rights to Boston Strong, based on the forthcoming book by Casey Sherman and Boston Herald reporter Dave Wedge. According to Deadline, the book is due to be published next year by the University Press of New England.

The AV Club’s overview of the project reads exactly as most of us—whether residents of the Boston area or not—are thinking: the marathon literally just happened. “New movie to bring story of Boston Marathon bombing to life, so that people of today can experience it,” reads the overview’s sadistic headline—as if the memory of the Boston Marathon three months ago was not in fact … three months ago. It continues:

“With three months now passed since the Boston Marathon bombing, the details of that day have, naturally, been lost to the ages, capable of being summoned by only the most dedicated scholars of history.”

Oh ye dedicated scholars of history, go forth and conduct your serious research, the details of which cannot be summoned without Google or social media.

“But soon, as with so many events shrouded and distorted by misty memory, they will be brought to cinematic life, …”

Again, the event here is The Boston Marathon, which happened 12 weeks ago …

“… so that we may experience them again— …”

Seriously? Once wasn’t enough?

“… and, arguably, for the first time: The Fighter screenwriters Eric Johnson and Paul Tamasy are hoping to return to that film’s milieu by optioning the feature rights to Boston Strong, Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge’s yet-to-be-published account of the bombing that so affected our long-ago ancestors of April.”

Long-ago ancestors of April—isn’t that basically everybody who has a smartphone? Ugh. These producers are acting like the entire country wasn’t sitting on their couch experiencing a nightmarish loop of Marathon coverage on the news for weeks on end—three months ago.

Slow the hell down, Hollywood. Besides, we know that the project’s hype is most certainly premature if there aren’t any Wahlbergs or Afflecks involved.