Actor Stephen Merchant, known for his roles in the UK version of The Office, as well as his turn as the mutant Caliban in Logan, will play Grindr serial killer Stephen Port in an upcoming biopic.
Tentatively titled The Barking Murders, the BBC film will recount the criminal career of Port, who claimed the lives of at least four men he met on gay social networks. Dubbed “The Grindr Killer” in the press, Port drugged, raped and killed his victims in 2014-2015.
“This is a story that can’t be ignored—how four young lives were lost and their families’ brave attempt to uncover what happened,” Merchant said in a statement regarding his casting. “This factual drama will shed light on their story, so it’s a privilege to be a part of telling it with the brilliant combination of Jeff Pope, Neil McKay and the BBC.”
Related:Grindr Serial Killer Stephen Port Found Guilty In Murders Of Four Gay Men
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Merchant also expressed his empathy and respect for the families of the victims, singling out Sarah Sak, the mother of victim Anthony Walgate. “Along with the other families, Sarah went through so much heartache and it would have been easy for her to just accept what she was being told by the police, but something inside made her keep fighting for her son,” he said.
Stephen Port is currently serving a life sentence in a UK prison for his crimes. British courts convicted him of the murders of Walgate, a fashion student and escort, Gabriel Kovari, a Slovak immigrant, Jack Taylor, a forklift driver and Daniel Whitworth, a chef. Courts further convicted Pope of drugging and raping seven other men.
The Barking Murders will go before the cameras this spring.
fpcinnyc
WHY? I don’t know that this is something I would want to see. The Versace murder miniseries was enough for me.
Juanjo
I don’t think that it is mandatory that you watch the program.
Lostnlonely
Has the movie industry gotten so out of good movie ideas that would seriously glorify not but 4 murders of people who had families and loved ones. Bastard would never have made it to the sentencing if he took away someone I loved.
WillParkinson
Why give them the attention they want? Let them live out their miserable existences in anonymity.
Vince
Cool. Looks to be worth watching. Not enough shows about gay serial killers these days.
Lostnlonely
Have another drink creep
Kangol
His story offers a screenwriter and a director another opportunity to portray gay men as murderous sex monsters, which the film industries in the US and UK love. Also, he was blond and blue-eyed and murdered 20-somethings, so I imagine they’ll be able to sell this story to distributors without breaking a sweat.
Meanwhile, anyone wanna bet no one’s clamoring to do a biopic of that murderous middle-aged white bear serial killer in Toronto, who took the lives of at least eight men, most of them brown immigrants or refugees, as the police allegedly looked the other way for years?
Thad
I am glad the four murdered men were mentioned by name. I trust this film will honor their memory.