Details emerge on upcoming Jack Layton biopic

We saw it coming, but perhaps not quite this soon: the story of the late Jack Layton will be the subject of a biopic broadcast on the CBC (where else?). Layton’s widow, Trinity-Spadina MP Olivia Chow, has signed on with veteran filmmaker Laszlo Barna to produce the docudrama. Barna’s previous subjects include Roméo Dallaire (Shake Hands with the Devil), right-to-die activist Sue Rodriguez (At the End of the Day) and other figures with similarly strong emotional resonance for Canadians. He told the Toronto Star that Layton’s story was a perfect fit for him. “It was really kind of tragic,” he said. “He ended up elevating the NDP to where he wanted it to be but he couldn’t go into the promised land himself. That makes for great drama.” Chow, who said the rest of Layton’s family is also on board, admitted that “it’s difficult to relive my life with him so soon, but I figure it needs to be done so that the script writer can write the story properly.”  Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »