On the eve of a national report expected to detail the extent of sex abuse within the Catholic church, Showtime ordered production of a movie on Thursday about the scandal.
The movie, “Our Fathers,” will be based on a book about the church scandal written by Newsweek’s David France.
“We have no intention of making this movie exploitative,” said Robert Greenblatt, Showtime’s entertainment president. “But when I read France’s book, I was compelled to make this movie because the majority of the public has no idea how widespread or complex this issue is or how faithful Catholics were deceived in such epic proportions.”
Casting is under way with preproduction to begin in April.
The movie will focus on individuals who were allegedly abused, and the crusading lawyers who challenged the church, Showtime said.
A national report scheduled to be released to the public on Friday is expected to say that more than 4,000 priests have been accused of sex abuse nationwide since 1950.