In Boston, Mark Shanahan reported preliminary work "has begun on two Hollywood films dealing with the Boston Marathon bombings." Actor MARK WAHLBERG will star in "PATRIOTS DAY," which is directed by PETER BERG, while JAKE GYLLENHAAL is "set to play" bombing survivor JEFF BAUMAN in DAVID GORDON GREEN's "STRONGER" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/20). In Boston, Gayle Fee noted there also is a documentary "about the marathon itself underway, which will not focus solely on the bombings, but on the long, rich history of the race." A second documentary by HBO "will recount the terror attack, and there is also a stage play in the works" (BOSTON HERALD, 1/21).
TALKING HEADS: In Cleveland, Joe Vardon reported Cavaliers F LEBRON JAMES' "UNINTERRUPTED" and Warner Bros. "are partnering on an original, fictional series about two washed-up quarterbacks who try to become broadcasters." The show, titled "NOW WE'RE TALKING," stars TOMMY DEWEY and TUG COKER and will "debut this spring on go90, a free, mobile entertainment application." It "does not appear that James will have any formal role" with the series (CLEVELAND.com, 1/20).
BETWEEN THE LINES: A group of former Nike execs have "announced the launch of a company called Unscriptd" backed by tennis greats ANDRE AGASSI and STEFFI GRAF. The company already is being used "by the biggest athletes in social media," including La Liga club Real Madrid MF CRISTIANO RONALDO and FC Barcelona F LIONEL MESSI. Unscriptd has a "platform that can be accessed through its proprietary app that makes it easier for athletes to edit video they shoot on the go and push it to social media." Neither Agassi nor the company "has disclosed how much money was put into Unscriptd" (ESPN.com, 1/20).
BEST OF THE BEST: Smithsonian Channel and MLB have teamed up to tell the stories of four players who transcended the game: Baseball HOFers HANK AARON, BABE RUTH, LOU GEHRIG and TED WILLIAMS. "MAJOR LEAGUE LEGENDS" will premiere over four consecutive Monday nights beginning February 29 at 8:00pm ET (MLB).
