Lynch ‘smallest part’ of NBC film

Pfc. Jessica Lynch, it turns out, will not be the focus of “Saving Jessica Lynch” -- a TV movie about the Army private’s rescue that NBC now plans to air during the November rating sweeps.

Given the dispute regarding the facts surrounding Lynch, -- including a BBC documentary that sought to debunk the U.S. military’s version of events -- some have questioned how NBC can proceed with the film.

At a news conference Thursday, NBC Entertainment President Jeff Zucker said the network is on its fifth draft of the script, adding that Lynch herself -- who has not sold her story rights to anyone and is said to have a limited memory of events -- is “the smallest part of the story.”

The movie’s more important elements, he said, will deal with how her unit was ambushed as well as on Mohammed Odeh Rehaief, the Iraqi lawyer who led the military to Lynch.

NBC does have a rights deal with the lawyer, who is preparing a book for HarperCollins. The network will also draw on the official military report, Zucker said, adding that the BBC production will be taken into account.

As for the movie’s accuracy, he said there’s always a mix of fact and fiction in such productions, adding, “We’ll never know for sure what exactly happened.”

The movie will begin production shortly in Texas, and casting details will be announced.

-- Brian Lowry