Not Without Hope
Not Without Hope is a 2010 non-fiction book by Nick Schuyler and Jeré Longman. The book describes a 2009 boating accident in which Schuyler was the sole survivor; his three friends, including NFL players Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith, died in the accident. "Not Without Hope" was a "New York Times" best-seller. Description. "Not Without Hope" describes a 2009 boating accident that took the lives of NFL players Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith and Schuyler's best friend Will Bleakley. Co-author Schuyler survived the incident. On Saturday, February 28, 2009, at about 6:30 AM , the four men embarked in a 21-foot single-engine boat owned by Cooper from the Seminole Boat Ramp near Clearwater Pass. They had gone fishing in the Gulf of Mexico about off of Clearwater, Florida. At around 5:30 PM, they went to pull up the anchor and head back to port, but the anchor was stuck. When Cooper tried to thrust the boat forward in an attempt to dislodge the anchor, the vessel became submerged and capsized, tossing the men overboard. According to Schuyler, over the next several hours, his three companions each eventually succumbed to hypothermia. Schuyler was  the sole survivor. On March 2, 2009, he was found by the United States Coast Guard. Schuyler was near death, clinging to the engine mount of the capsized vessel. Co-author Jeré Longman. Having had no experience as an author, Schuyler asked Jeré Longman to co-author "Not Without Hope" with him. Jeré Longman (born July 17, 1954, in Coronado, California) grew up in Eunice, Louisiana. He received his bachelor's degree in journalism from Louisiana State University in 1976. Longman has been a sports reporter for "The New York Times" since 1993, covering a variety of international sports, primarily  the Olympic Games. Prior to working at "The New York Times", Longman covered the Philadelphia Eagles and the Philadelphia 76ers for "The Philadelphia Inquirer" from 1982 to 1993. He also worked as a general assignment sportswriter for the paper. From 1977 to 1982, Longman served as a general assignment reporter and sports writer as well as a school district beat reporter at the "Dallas Times Herald". In addition, he wrote about high school and college sports at "The Clarion-Ledger" in Jackson, Mississippi, from 1976 to 1977. In 2009, Longman and his colleague Juliet Macur were awarded first place in  the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) Breaking News Category for their report raising questions about the ages of the Chinese gymnasts at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Longman is the author of "The Girls of Summer" (2000), a book about the United States soccer team that won the 1999 Women's World Cup. He also wrote "Among the Heroes" (2002), a book about United Airlines Flight 93 that was hijacked during the September 11 attacks and crashed in Pennsylvania after the passengers and crew rebelled against the hijackers. "Among the Heroes" became a "New York Times" bestseller. In addition, Longman authored  The Hurricanes (2008), about a high school football team in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, struggling to be reborn in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. "The Hurricanes" was chosen by "Slate" magazine as one of the Best Books of 2008. Official report of accident. On March 25, 2009, a report was released based on a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigation into the capsizing; the investigation included interviews with Schuyler (the survivor) and an inspection of the boat. The report concluded the following: The conclusions were accompanied by additional details from the Schuyler interviews. According to Schuyler, after the capsizing, he  and the other three men, all wearing flotation devices, struggled overnight to remain on top of the capsized hull of the boat, with water reaching chest-high over the partially submerged hull and waves of approximately 6 feet. Cooper and Smith became non-responsive and separated from the vessel between 5:30 AM and 6:30 AM on the morning of March 1, and Bleakley became non-responsive and separated about 24 hours later, which was less than six hours before Schuyler was rescued. The investigator described the symptoms Schuyler witnessed as characteristic of hypothermia. Section::::"The New York Times" Best Seller list . "Not Without Hope" appeared on "The New York Times" Best Seller list. Television. Shuyler's story was the subject of an HBO "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" segment and a one-hour Oprah Winfrey special. Film. "Not Without Hope" is slated to be made into a film. The film was originally to be produced, distributed, and financed by Relativity Media. Dwayne Johnson was cast to play Schuyler and was also executive producer. After the project was tied up at Relativity Media for four years, as a result of the company's 2015 bankruptcy, 36films and its founder Michael Cuccolo acquired  the rights to produce the survival drama. The UK production/financing company Goldfinch later purchased the film rights and hired Rupert Wainwright as director. Miles Teller was cast in the role of Schuyler, and production was set to begin in early 2020. With the outbreak of coronavirus delaying film production, the filming date was moved to September, with pre-production beginning at the water facility in Pinewood Dominican Republic Studios. However, Wainwright would later leave the director's chair, citing creative differences, before filming began.