Jake Gyllenhaal is considering the lead role in a drama set in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing, according to Variety.
The film, called Stronger, is based on the experiences of survivor Jeff Bauman. Bauman, who was waiting for his girlfriend to finish the race, lost both of his legs after two pressure-cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the marathon on 15 April 2013. He helped to identify the bombers – brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev – and went on to co-write a book about his experience, on which the film is based. David Gordon Green, whose previous work includes Pineapple Express and Joe, will direct.
Gyllenhaal can currently be seen in Southpaw, in which he plays boxer Billy Hope, biffing his way back from tragedy after the death of his wife. The film has had mixed reviews from critics – a setback after the universal acclaim handed to his performance as a ghoulish news reporter in Nightcrawler.
His next outing, Everest, will open the Venicefilm festival next month. The movie, based on rival expeditions that scaled the mountain in 1996, stars Gyllenhaal as experienced mountaineer Scott Fischer. Demolition, in which Gyllenhaal plays a man spinning into madness after the unexpected death of his wife, will open the Toronto film festival on 10 September.
