Lifetime has greenlit Angel in the Rubble, a new original film starring and executive produced by Sherri Shepherd, which will tell the extraordinary true story of Genelle Guzman-McMillan, the last survivor rescued from the World Trade Center debris after the September 11 attacks.
The film is set to premiere this September to mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and is based on Guzman-McMillan’s memoir Angel in the Rubble: The Miraculous Rescue of 9/11’s Last Survivor. The project is the fourth film under the Robin Roberts Presents banner, with Roberts serving as executive producer through her production company Rock’n Robin Productions.
Shepherd, the Daytime Emmy Award-winning host of the syndicated talk show Sherri, will portray Guzman, a New York City transit employee who survived being buried beneath the collapse of Tower One for nearly 27 hours.
The film recounts Guzman’s harrowing fight for survival after she became trapped beneath the rubble following the collapse of the towers on September 11, 2001. While waiting for rescue, Guzman reflected on her life and the faith she had left behind, praying for deliverance and promising to change if she were given another chance.
Her rescue came when a man named Paul found her among the debris and stayed with her until emergency crews were able to reach her. Guzman later searched for the man who helped save her life, but no one could confirm his identity. The experience led her to believe the mysterious figure may have been an angel sent to guide her toward the renewed life she had promised while trapped beneath the rubble.
The film is produced by Rock’n Robin Productions and Lighthouse Pictures, in association with Motion Entertainment, a WPP Media company.
Executive producers include Robin Roberts, Linda Berman, Anne Carlucci, and Sherri Shepherd. Jameson Parker and Gemma Martini serve as executive producers for Lighthouse Pictures, while Richard Foster and Chet Fenster executive produce for Motion Entertainment.
The screenplay is written by Robert Eisele.
With Angel in the Rubble, Lifetime continues its collaboration with Roberts to bring powerful true stories to the screen—this time revisiting one of the most remarkable survival stories connected to the tragic events of September 11.