‘The Lennon Report’ – producers defend film dealing with aftermath of John Lennon’s assassination
The producers of The Lennon Report – a film examining the aftermath of John Lennon’s assassination and those who tried to save him – have defended their project from accusations of cashing in on the 35th anniversary of the former Beatle’s death. The film will star Entourage’s Kevin Dillon (pictured) as a motorcycle cop, part of the emergency services team that attended the scene when Lennon was shot and killed by Mark Chapman outside his Manhattan home in December 1980. The film’s producers Gabriel and Rafael Francisco spoke to the BBC about the project. Rafael said: “People should come and watch the film and see for themselves. We’re not trying to cash in on anything.” Gabriel further defended their reasons for making the film: “We really want to show what the people in New York City did to save a person even though they didn’t know who it was at the time.” Following a similar narrative arc to last year’s Parkland (which examined the shooting of President John F Kennedy), the film will focus on the efforts of emergency services at the scene and at the Roosevelt Hospital where Lennon was taken, and how the story developed in the media.
Writer and director Jeremy Profe plans to tell the story of the ordinary people caught up in the tragic event. They include TV producer Alan Weiss who was being treated at the same hospital and broke the story of Lennon’s assassination. The Lennon Report is currently in pre-production and will be released next year. Kevin Dillon will reprise his role as Johnny Chase for the Entourage movie, in cinemas next summer.
