David Gordon Green is an interesting director. The acclaimed filmmaker behind movies like GEORGE WASHINGTON, JOE, PRINCE AVALANCHE, and MANGLEHORN is also known for less artistic fare like YOUR HIGHNESS and PINEAPPLE EXPRESS. His next film looks to be a blend of mainstream and dramatic fare that should play well to his strengths as a filmmaker and will join multiple projects developing at the same time about the Boston Marathon bombings.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Green's film will focus on the story of a specific survivor of the terrible tragedy, that of Jeff Bauman, a survivor who lost both his legs in the attack.
Bauman was waiting for his girlfriend at the finish line of the annual marathon when two pressure cooker bombs exploded, killing three people and injuring more than 260 others. He chronicled his experience being a key witness in the trial of bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his attempts at rehab in a book titled Stronger, co-written by Bret Witter.
The screenplay for STRONGER has already been completed by John Pollono and Scott Silver. STRONGER is set up at Lionsgate while both 20th Century Fox and CBS Films have projects coming together as well. Neither of those studios currently have a director attached which could put Green's ahead of the pack. I like Green as a filmmaker, especially since he doesn't seem to stick to one genre or style and tackles projects that intrigue him. I hope STRONGER pulls together a great cast and creative team.