Frank Marshall has claimed his documentary Rachel, Breathe was pulled from ESPN2’s schedule at the last minute.
In a post on X, the producer and director wrote: “I’m sad to report that Rachel, Breathe will not premiere on ESPN2 today. After several days of negotiations that should have been very simple and were not about money, but rights, the ESPN lawyers stopped talking to us an hour before broadcast and said, “sign it now or we are pulling the show”.
“I’m extremely disappointed for Rachel and John and entire team that spent 2 years making this film about hope, love and friendship. We remain genuinely excited for the day this documentary reaches the world, it is simply not tonight. And just like Rachel, we remain resilient and the moment I know where and when the premiere is, you will hear from me.”
Marshall provided no context on what the issue hinged. He had previously posted on social media on Saturday to say the doc, which tells the story of marathon runner Rachel Foster, would launch on ESPN2 at 7pm ET the following day on ESPN2, with a repeat airing today immediately following coverage of the Boston marathon.
The doc does not show up on ESPN2 schedules, though there is reference to the timeslot when searching Google online. We have contacted ESPN for comment and clarity.
Rachel, Breathe is billed as “an intimate exploration of the transformative power of running through the miraculous story of marathoner Rachel Foster,” who completed the Boston Marathon 2023 just five months after waking from a coma that she was not expected to emerge from.
Per the synopsis: “Despite the victory of that moment and feeling like she was on the path to a full recovery of her life as it was, new challenges arise. The film follows Rachel, now preparing to run the 2025 Boston Marathon as a reclamation of self, to prove that though her reality has changed, her essence remains the same. Interweaving Rachel’s journey to run Boston past and present, the film explores themes of loss, love, grit, friendship, redemption and transcendence.”
Marshall is the director through The Kennedy Marshall Company. He produces alongside Aly Parker, Tony Rosenthal and Joanna Forscher, who is also the writer. Exec producers are Rebecca Covington, Mark Rooks, Frank Igrec and Alexandra Bowen. Beatriz Browne is supervising producer and Ellie Vargas id associate producer.