Kelly Slattery, a Toronto raised, Los Angeles producer hopes to bring global awareness of Terry Fox’s amazing 1980 Marathon of Hope to the big screen.
Canadian legend – Terry Fox, who had lost his leg to bone cancer, decided to begin running across Canada with his artificial leg in hopes of raising funds for cancer research. Fox was 21 at the time when he set off and dipped his artificial leg into the Atlantic Ocean off St. Johns on April 12, 1980. Sadly, the recurrence of cancer cut Fox’s journey across Canada short on June 28, 1981 as he passed away. Fox by then was a household name across Canada, as he won the hearts of so many, and became a national hero with his selfless acts of trying to aid cancer research.
Terry Fox: The Feature Film, is expected to release in 2014, and any proceeds the film makes will go towards The Terry Fox Foundation, a Vancouver-based foundation, to support cancer research. The Terry Fox Foundation has raised millions for cancer research in the past 33 years by sponsoring annual runs and fundraisers in Fox’s name.
Two TV movies about Fox’s story have been made, one in 1983 and one in 2005, buy Slattery hopes that this time around a more global audience will be reached and become aware and captivated by Fox’s journey just like the millions of us Canadians are.