ESPN Pulls ‘Rachel, Breathe’ Over Rights Disagreement, Frank Marshall Says

According to prolific director and producer Frank Marshall, ESPN pulled his new documentary “Rachel, Breathe” an hour before it was set to premiere due to a rights disagreement.

“I’m sad to report that RACHEL, BREATHE, will not premiere on ESPN2 today,” he wrote on X on Sunday night. “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. And thanks to Dick’s Sporting Goods for fighting the fight.”

“Rachel, Breathe” tells the story of marathon runner Rachel Foster, who made headlines in 2023 for her athletic chievements after a major medical hardship. The official logline reads, “Five months after waking up from a coma no one expected her to emerge from, Rachel accomplished the unthinkable and completed the 2023 Boston Marathon. 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.”

ESPN did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.