JAKE GYLLENHAAL LOOKING AT LEAD IN BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING DRAMA

Given the guy's talent, it's only a matter of time before the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decide to reward Jake Gyllenhaal with his very own Oscar - we're just waiting to see what that feature winds up being. It's entirely possible that it could be the next project he's eying to add to his upcoming slate, which will see him playing a man who lost his legs during the Boston Marathon bombing that occurred back in 2013. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jake Gyllenhaal is now thinking about signing on to Stronger, a new film that is being directed by David Gordon Green (George Washington, Pineapple Express). Should he sign on the dotted line, theNightcrawler star would be playing Jeff Bauman, a survivor of the aforementioned terrorist attack who lost his legs in the explosion. The movie is based on a script by screenwriter John Pollono (and should it get made, it will be his first feature credit). 

Adapted from the book of the same name that Jeff Bauman co-wrote with author Bret Witter, Stronger will tell Bauman's story as he worked to recover from the Boston Marathon bombing. He was waiting for his girlfriend at the finish line of the race when two home-made explosives were detonated. Bauman was one of more than 260 people to be either injured or killed during the attack. The film will chronicle he struggles through rehab and adaptation to a new life, but what adds an extra layer to the story is that Bauman was also a key witness at the trial of bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. 

Jake Gyllenhaal is just coming off the release of his new boxing movieSouthpaw, though he has some big plans for the rest of this year and the future. In a few months he will be back in theaters as one of the leads in Baltasar Kormákur'sEverest, and September will see the Toronto International Film Festival world premiere of Demolition, the new dramedy directed by Dallas Buyers Club's Jean-Marc Vallee. While watching any of them, however, it will be difficult to shake memories of his devastating and phenomenal turn as Lou Bloom inNightcrawler. 

Right now, Stronger is very much in the early stages of development, and Jake Gyllenhaal isn't exactly a lock just yet. The trade report says that an offer has not yet gone out, and there doesn't seem to be any clear indication regarding Gyllenhaal's thoughts on the material. That being said, Lionsgate may try especially hard to get the actor locked in, if not only because this is far from the only Boston Marathon bombing movie that is currently in development in Hollywood. Given this competition, it may not be long before we hear more about this particular project.

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