Mark Wahlberg to Produce Boston Marathon Bombing Movie
According to recent reports from Variety and The Wrap, Mark Wahlberg is set to produce a movie about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. He’ll be one of four other producers along with Ted producer Scott Stuber, and also Dylan Clark, Stephen Levinson, and Michael Radutzky. The working title right now is dubbed Patriots’ Day, a movie by CBS Films.
Based on said reports, the film is still in its beginning stages, without a director or lead actor yet. Wahlberg is rumored to be on board for one of the roles, but that still isn’t confirmed. Bridge of Spies writer Matt Charman is allegedly writing the screenplay.
This particular telling of the marathon bombings will be based on the account of Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis. He served as commissioner since 2006, and retired in 2013 before becoming a security analyst on WBZ News. Variety reports that CBS Films “secured Davis’s life rights” and all information portrayed in the 60 Minutes episode in which he appeared.
Patriots’ Day will be a thriller of sorts, spanning the Tsarnaev manhunt in Watertown.
As most already know, 20th Century Fox is also developing a film based on the marathon bombings titled Boston Strong. This production is an adaptation of a book by Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge and has been in the works since mid-2013. While Boston Strong just attached Robocop’s Joshua Zetumer as its writer, nobody knows for sure how its new rival Patriots’ Day will affect the movie going forward.
Meanwhile, the Boston Athletic Association is also working on a feature-length Boston Marathon documentary titled Boston. The trailer was released in February.
The news of the Wahlberg-produced film follows the end of the defense’s case in the trial of alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Juror deliberations are expected to begin next Monday after closing arguments.
