Two United States television networks are squaring off to produce a miniseries dramatising the September 11 2001 terror attacks, based on the report of the federal commission that investigated the event.
NBC Entertainment said it has joined forces with Graham Yost, the producer-writer behind the World War II series Band of Brothers, for a project that will “define and explore” the circumstances leading to, and including, the attacks on the US.
“The only way we’d ever attempt a project like this is under the extremely capable auspices of Graham Yost, who can execute a project of this weight with the integrity it demands,” NBC Universal Television Studio co-presidents Angela Bromstad and David Kissinger said in a joint statement on Thursday.
Three years down the road, the psychological wounds inflicted by September 11 have healed to an extent, but there is still significant public sensitivity about the subject.
Until now, the entertainment industry has steered clear of any full-scale dramatisation of the attacks themselves, dabbling instead with stories surrounding the event, such as a bio-pic of former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani.
“With this most important subject matter, we’re setting our sights on nothing short of a seminal event for television,” said NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly.
The 567-page 9/11 Commission Report, compiled by a 10-member bipartisan commission after a two-year investigation, has become a surprise hit, selling more than one million copies since publication in July.
Earlier this month, it was nominated for one of the most prestigious US literary prizes — the National Book Award.
The report is in the public domain, meaning NBC does not have to pay for the rights.
However, it also means that any other network can go down the same path.
The Hollywood trade media reported that ABC is also planning a September 11 miniseries using the report as its main source, although nobody at the network was immediately available to comment.
NBC said its project will showcase the heroism of those who “saved untold lives” during and after the attacks, in which nearly 3 000 people died.
“It will also examine the shortcomings in the system that helped set the stage for the actual attack,” the network said.
The 9/11 Commission Report contained a broad indictment of US intelligence and air defenses, and offered blunt criticism of the administrations of both former president Bill Clinton and President George Bush, who is seeking re-election on November 2. — AFP