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Hulu's true crime series, Under the Bridge, premiered on April 17, 2024, with the first two episodes, and will be followed by weekly episodes till May 29, 2024. The series, which presents the chilling events surrounding the death of Canadian teenager Reena Virk, is based on the investigative book of the same name by Rebecca Godfrey.
In the series, Riley Keough portrayed the author. However, the real Rebecca Godfrey died of lung cancer in October 2022, before the filming of the series. Godfrey has been credited among the executive producers of Under the Bridge by showrunner Quinn Shephard.
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Shephard has been in collaboration with Godfrey for three years before the making of the series. Since Godfrey's first-hand investigations had helped solve the case, she was the best person to assist in bringing the story onto the screen.
Read more: Does Dusty die in Under the Bridge? Character's fate explained
Under the Bridge writer Rebecca Godfrey is no more
Rebecca Godfrey, the writer of Under the Bridge, died of lung cancer in 2022, at the age of 54. She was involved in the hands-on investigation of Reena Virk's mysterious death. Her investigative work made it into her book, first published in 2005, and re-published in 2019 with a foreword from writer Mary Gaitskill.
The book was included in Rolling Stone's 11 True Crime Books For Music Lovers, besides being included among Best True Crime Books in Men's Journal.
Godfrey and Shephard started working on the series around 2019 for three years before she passed away. Godfrey was an integral part of the ideation process and was also portrayed as a character in the series played by Riley Keough. While working with Godfrey, Shephard got access to all the interview notes and original diaries the author used while investigating for the book.
As a credit to Godfrey, Quinn Shephard accepts that the author handled the sensitive subject of the crime with empathy. Under the Bridge involves the murder of a teenager due to peer bullying, a crime that touches upon bullying, teenage crime, coming-of-age, and many more issues.
However, Godfrey's empathetic and sensitive approach has given the Hulu series a different dimension than most true crime shows.
Read more: Under the Bridge episode 6 ending explained
How did Rebecca's past contribute to solving Reena Virk's murder?
Reena Virk, a 14-year-old Indian-Canadian was found murdered in 1997. While the case created quite a stir at the time, investigative writer, Rebecca Godfrey, assisted the authorities in the investigation by interacting with the suspects and other people connected to the case. She helped unearth the evidence and piece it together for the law to take its course.
For a background, Rebecca grew up in the area but moved to New York for work. She returned to her childhood place after learning about the missing Reena Virk. She found it easier to talk to all concerned parties who otherwise were not open to the police.
There was a tragic incident in Godfrey's past as reported by Collider. When she was thirteen, her 16-year-old brother, Jonathan, fell off a bluff cliff and drowned. This left a trauma in Godfrey's mind that was reflected in her writing.
Her illustrious career came to an untimely end due to her untimely death. She was writing a book titled Peggy at the time of her demise, which will be published posthumously in August 2024.
Read more: What happened to Reena Virk's parents after Under the Bridge?
Exploring Under the Bridge
As aforementioned, Under the Bridge is a true crime series on Hulu based on Godfrey's book. The plot stays true to the original book which was written by Godfrey after her first-hand experience in investigating the crime alongside the police.
Reena Virk's death was a case of teen violence and bullying perpetrated by her peers whom she considered friends. The teenagers were brought to justice by the courts and many of them are serving their sentences.
The show includes Lilly Gladstone, Archie Panjabi, Izzy G, and Riley Keough in prominent roles.
Under the Bridge is available to watch on Hulu till May 29, 2024, with episodes dropping weekly.
