Boston may be strong, but as it turns out something was too powerful for the upcoming film about the Boston Marathon bombing. The film, which follows the aftermath of the attack and how the city banded together, will need to be stout itself in order to overcome this problem. Boston Strong is now without a director.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Daniel Espinosa, who had been attached to direct the film, has now parted ways with the project over "creative differences." There’s no additional information about exactly what those differences are.
Espinosa has been having a rough time of late, his most recent film, Child 44, has had a fairly disappointing run so far. He also recently switched talent agencies. The move appears to have been his choice, but the reasons behind it are also unknown. It’s very possible that Espinosa simply has a lot going on in his life right now and can’t focus on the film, or that the disappointing performance of Child 44 has soured people on him for the moment. The director does have success in his history as well, he was the helmer behind Safe House with Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington. That film was a financial win, if not necessarily a critical one.
Boston Strong is based on the book by Dave Wedge and Casey Sherman, and Josh Zetumer wrote the current script. Zetumer himself appears to be having his own issues getting movies made these days. The man who wrote the script for the recent Robocop remake also wrote the current script for the Gambit movie that Channing Tatum is trying to get made. That film is also short a director.
The lack of a director could be a serious issue for Boston Strong as it’s not the only film in development about the bombing. Mark Walhberg is attached to star in Patriot’s Day. While also about the 2013 domestic terrorist attack, Walhberg’s film focuses more on the manhunt for the bombers, as opposed to the people of Boston reacting to the event. This wouldn’t be the first time that films with the same theme and subject matter have hit theaters at around the same time, but the first to the box office is usually more successful. Patriot’s Day is also looking for a director.
Finding directors is never a simple task, but it’s starting to look like an epidemic out there. Maybe this is an opportunity for some young, hungry filmmakers to leave their mark. No word on what’s next for Espinosa, but he’ll certainly find something, his name has been in the running for a number of high profile films in recent years, including the Assassin's Creed movie as well as the upcoming Star Trek 3, and that isn't likely to change.
