Hiroshima’s Horror

How far will NBC go in depicting the atomic bomb’s aftermath in its upcoming movie of the week, “Hiroshima”? Far enough to give “a generation of young people who really don’t have that much awareness of the bombing” a clear impression of its horror, said exec producer Robert Greenwald.

“When you’re dealing with difficult subjects like these, I think the arbiter and rule is honesty without exploitativeness,” said Greenwald. “But, yes, we’re going to be walking a very fine line.”

Unconnected to the famous John Hersey book on the bombing, John McGreevey’s script follows the lives of six people in or near the Japanese city before and after its destruction, which forced Japan’s surrender in World War II. Shooting begins Dec. 1 on a hefty $5-$6 million budget.

Casting is under way and locations are being scouted, with Japan ruled out, primarily for financial and logistical reasons. “We’ve had tremendous cooperation from everyone in Japan,” Greenwald said. “They feel this is a (preventive) message that needs to be repeated over and over.”

“Hiroshima” will be sold to foreign markets, Greenwald added, and there is already “enormous interest” from both theatrical and television outlets in Japan.