Lifetime Is Filming a Movie About Gabby Petito This Summer

As the one-year anniversary of Gabby Petito's tragic death approaches in August 2022, Lifetime is planning to retell her story through a new feature film co-starring and directed by Thora Birch. Tentatively titled The Gabby Petito Story, the film will be a part of Lifetime’s Stop Violence Against Women public affairs initiative.

Do we know about its release date yet? Keep reading to find out.

According to Deadline, viewers may end up seeing the Gabby Petito movie sooner than they might expect. Although Lifetime just greenlit the project, it is slated to begin filming in Utah this summer and will likely be released before the end of 2022. Those who kept up with the case might remember the media frenzy surrounding it at end of 2021, and if all goes according to plan, Lifetime will be on track to share the project around the one-year anniversary of Gabby Petito's death.

Per the publication, the film will explore the relationship between Gabby and her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, and highlight its complicated nature as they embarked on a cross-country van trip together. Throughout its powerful moments, the Lifetime movie hopes to shine a light on early signs that Gabby's life was at risk, her disappearance, the discovery of her murder, and Brian's eventual suicide while being hunted down by authorities.

Emmy-nominated actress Thora Birch, who has starred in The Walking Dead and American Beauty, is set to direct and take on the role of Gabby’s mom, Nichole Schmidt. The film is a part of Lifetime's initiative to provide resources for women in distress. Aside from the film about Gabby, the network is also reportedly producing other films about women who went missing and received lesser media coverage such as Carlesha Freeland-Gaither, Adriane Fields, Beatrice Weston, and others.