Barney and Betty Hill were a married couple living in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in the ’60s. Barney was a postal worker, and Betty a social worker, both actively involved in their church, the NAACP, and the Civil Rights Commission.
They’re noteworthy not because they were an interracial married couple before that was even actually legal, but because they were abducted by aliens.
I mean, y’know. Allegedly.
Driving home from a vacation in Niagara Falls in September of 1961, the Hills spotted what they at first thought was a falling star, and then figured was an airplane. They did what anyone would do when they realized they had no idea what the strange flying object blinking in the sky was: They drove up into the mountains to get a closer look. That’s when they claim they were abducted by the alien spacecraft, as they have no idea how exactly they ended up back at home, several hours later than they should have arrived.
After years of therapy, hypnosis, and support from their church and friends, the story of the Hills’ abduction hit the press in 1965. It was turned into a book, The Interrupted Journey, and a TV movie called The UFO Incident. Now the Hollywood Reporter is saying Gotham/Principal, who just produced Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, have optioned the book Captured! The Betty and Barney Hill UFO Experience: The True Story of the World’s First Documented Alien Abduction.
Captured was written in 2007 by nuclear physicist Stanton Friedman and Betty Hill’s niece Kathleen Marden, and is based on audio tapes made of the Hills discussing their encounter while under hypnosis. It explores not just the Hills’ claims, but also the phenomenon of the American UFO sighting, and how the modern mythos was practically launched by the Hills.
“This is an exciting story that is as intriguing, timely and ripe for adaptation today as it was 54 years ago when this incident occurred. We look forward to sharing Betty and Barney Hill’s incredible encounter with audiences all around the world,” says Eric Robinson (a producer on the film).
Bryce Zabel (Dark Skies) will write the script and produce with his wife Jackie Zabel through their Stellar Productions.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
