Metro Atlanta standoff inspires new thriller 'Breaking'

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Atlanta standoff inspiration for new film 'Breaking'

'Breaking' tells the story of Marine veteran Brian Brown-Easley, who walked into a local Wells Fargo back in 2017 and claimed to have a bomb. Paul Milliken got a chance to talk with the film's director and stars to find out why it was so important for them to tell the story.

We watched it play out in real-time on our television screens back in 2017: Marine Corps veteran Brian Brown-Easley walked into a Cobb County Wells Fargo claiming to have a bomb, and ended up taking two staffers inside hostage.

Now, what became a tense and ultimately tragic standoff is playing out again — this time on big screens nationwide — in the new film "Breaking." 

"Breaking" stars Golden Globe winner John Boyega as Easley, the veteran who takes desperate measures in an effort to get help. The film was directed and co-written by Abi Damaris Corbin, who says her own father’s military service instantly connected her to the material. Corbin says she spent time in Atlanta researching the story and locations, but ended up shooting the film in Los Angeles due to logistics. 

We recently sat down with Corbin, Boyega, and co-star Nicole Beharie to learn more about the project and why all three felt so strongly about telling this particular story. Click the video player in this article to watch our interviews.