(NewsNation) — An already-in-production Lifetime movie about the death of Gabby Petito has many social media commentators saying it’s too soon.
The film, tentatively titled “The Gabby Petito Story,” has been rumored to be in the works for a while but recent photos show production underway in Salt Lake City.
The film is based on Petito’s murder at the hands of boyfriend Brian Laundrie in Wyoming last year, while on a well-documented road trip across the country.
The movie is being directed by Thora Birch, who will also play the role of Petito’s mother.
The Petito family has not publicly commented on the movie.
Lifetime said the project is part of their “Stop Violence Against Women” campaign. Even so, online critics still believe it is in bad taste.
On Friday, a notebook reportedly belonging to Brian Laundrie, in which the author claims responsibility for killing Gabby Petito in September 2021, was publicly released by the Laundrie family attorney.
The notebook is a scrawled mix of a confession and suicide note in which the writer admits to taking Petito’s life.
“I ended her life, I thought it was merciful,” Laundrie reportedly wrote in the notebook. He claimed Petito was injured and in “extreme pain” before he killed her.
None of Laundrie’s claims in the notebook have been corroborated by investigators.
Nichole Schmidt, Gabby’s mother, responded to Laundrie’s confession on Twitter with an image saying “Narcissists rewrite history to escape accountability..”