"The Fighter" screenwriters Eric Johnson and Paul Tamasy have optioned feature film rights to "Boston Strong," an upcoming book by Casey Sherman and Boston Herald reporter Dave Wedge, an individual familiar with the deal has told TheWrap.
"Boston Strong" will examine the city's reaction to the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15 and the subsequent hunt for sibling suspects Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the latter of whom was captured April 19 following a massive manhunt.
Sherman and Wedge are currently writing "Boston Strong," which University Press of New England will publish sometime next year. Johnson and Tamasy will write the script themselves, as they have the option for at least one year and may acquire additional rights if necessary.
Coming less than three months after a televised blast that killed three, "Boston Strong" may garner controversy — though an individual familiar with the movie insists the screenwriters aren't looking to exploit the tragedy.
Johnson, Tamasy and "The Fighter" producer Dorothy Aufiero got in on the project early, having already established a relationship with Sherman, whose book "The Finest Hours" is in development at Disney. Robert Schwentke is directing the movie, which Johnson and Tamasy adapted and Aufiero is producing.
Johnson and Tamasy's reps at Verve Talent and Literary Agency negotiated the deal with Michael Prevett of the Gotham Group and John Ivey of Altus Marketing & Management.
Deadline broke the news.
