BBC Three Documentary 'Batman Shootings' To Debut Just One Month After Aurora Tragedy

By Yannick LeJacq | August 07 2012 4:18 PM

BBC Three, a channel of the British broadcasting giant, has commissioned an hourlong documentary about the shooting that occurred last month in a Aurora, Colo., movie theater's midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises."

Reuters

BBC Three announced Tuesday that it is commissioning a one-hour documentary investigating the shootings that occurred last month in Aurora, Colorado. The film is set for release on August 23, little more than a month after the shootings themselves.

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James Holmes is accused of killing 12 people and leaving 58 more wounded on July 20.

The news came from the network Tuesday during a scheduled announcement of new program commissions, The Hollywood Reporter writes. Describing the work as a "quick turnaround current affairs film," the BBC told The Hollywood Reporter that the documentary, tentatively titled "The Batman Shootings," will include "in-depth interviews with some of those involved in the shocking shootings."

Deadline London reports that the documentary is being made by British production firm Mentorn Media, which previously produced Ricky Gervais' film "An Idiot Abroad," and will be hosted by Amal Fashanu.

"The Batman Shootings," scheduled to air Aug. 23, is the first film about the tragedy.

Speaking to The Hollywood Report, Zai Bennett, controller of BBC Three, sounded confident in the organization's ability to cover such a sensitive and timely subject in a respectful and professional manner thanks to their success with Olympics coverage. "We're experiencing an historic moment on BBC Three right now - transmitting all hours to co-host the biggest sporting event on Earth," he said. "With this raft of new commissions, alongside all the fantastic new shows which are launching straight off the back of the Olympics, viewers will see what a rich, diverse, surprising and engaging channel BBC Three is."

"Columbine, Virginia Tech, Aurora - and even this weekend the shootings at the Sikh Temple in Milwaukee, in which seven people were killed - the list of gun massacres in the USA grows ever longer," executive producer Steve Anderson told the magazine. "America is mainly split on the issue of gun controls - this film concentrates on what young people there think should happen now."