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See the first images from the upcoming ‘Boston Strangler’ movie

20th Century Studios also announced a companion Boston Strangler podcast hosted by a former Boston Globe journalist.

Carrie Coon (L) as Jean Cole and Keira Knightley (R) as Loretta McLaughlin in "Boston Strangler." Claire Folger/20th Century Studios

By Kevin Slane

January 4, 2023

In anticipation of its upcoming “Boston Strangler” movie, which was filmed in the Boston area, 20th Century Studios will be releasing a podcast about the infamous case hosted by a former Boston Globe journalist.

On Tuesday, the studio released the first images from “Boston Strangler,” and announced that the true crime thriller will be released on Hulu on March 17.

The film will tell the story of Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley, “Pirates of the Caribbean”), the newspaper reporter who first connected the dots between a series of murders in Boston in the 1960s while working at the Boston Record American.

Keira Knightley as Loretta McLaughlin in "Boston Strangler." — Keira Knightley as Loretta McLaughlin in “Boston Strangler.” *– Courtesy 20th Century Studios*

McLaughlin, who later became the editorial page editor at The Boston Globe, wrote a four-part series about the murders along with fellow Record American reporter Jean Cole (Carrie Coon, “Gone Girl”) that first gave the killer the “Boston Strangler” moniker.

Ahead of the movie’s March 17 debut, ABC News will release a three-part podcast hosted by BU journalism professor and former Globe journalist Dick Lehr, who worked for the paper from 1985 to 2003 and was a longtime member of the Spotlight team.

Lehr, who knew McLaughlin and has reported on the infamous case in the past, will examine the backstories of the victims linked to the Strangler and why the case remains relevant 50 years later.

The podcast’s release date has not been announced, but it will be available for free on all major platforms.

Carrie Coon as Jean Cole in "Boston Strangler" — Carrie Coon as Jean Cole in “Boston Strangler” *– Courtesy 20th Century Studios*

“Boston Strangler” was filmed in the Boston area from December 2021 through March 2022. Along with Boston proper, the film was shot in Belmont, Braintree, Cambridge, Devens, Lancaster, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Medfield, and Wellesley.

Along with Knightley and Coon, the film will star Boston native Alessandro Nivola (“Amsterdam”), Oscar winner and Kingston resident Chris Cooper (“Adaptation”), David Dastmalchian (“Dune”), Morgan Spector (“Homeland”), and Bill Camp (“Joker”).