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'The Gabby Petito Story': Lifetime movie shredded for getting almost everything WRONG

The movie's first look stirred up a massive negative reaction on Twitter and Reddit

Lifetime's 'The Gabby Petito Story' found itself embroiled in an online controversy even before its premiere. The film is slated to release just over a year after the vlogger was found murdered at the hands of her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie. The movie's first look stirred up a massive negative reaction on Twitter with people criticizing the network for making a movie on the topic even before it sunk in, while also taking a dig at the cast who looked "too old" to play the roles.

Earlier this year, Laundrie's note where he confessed to killing Petito surfaced. “I ended her life,” Laundrie wrote in the notebook, which was recovered by the FBI from the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on October 20, 2021. But, he insisted it was an act of “mercy,” per the report. “I thought it was merciful, that it is what she wanted, but I see now all the mistakes I made. I panicked. I was in shock," Laundrie wrote. Attorneys representing the Petito-Schmidt and Laundrie families met at the FBI's Tampa Field Office on Friday, June 24. He claimed that he wanted to put Petito out of her pain and misery after she fell and hurt herself in the Wyoming wilderness.

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Internet blasts Lifetime's 'The Gabby Petito Story'

"Shame on the Lifetime network," one of the tweets read. "The Gabby Petito Story on lifetime is rude AF! Very Non Empathetic YUCK! @lifetimetv" another wrote. "Same story with Washington DC and Atlanta. I think the discrepancy in reporting/investigating was never more obvious than with the Gabby Petito case. Seems like every aspect of America needs reform to truly be colorblind," one of the comments read. "Lifetime is coming out with The Gabby Petito story film and while it may be too soon I’m hoping it will help raise awareness," a tweet said.

Skyler Samuels (28) plays the 22-year-old Petito, while Evan Hall plays Laundrie in the upcoming movie. "As gross as this is they couldn't even be arsed to find actors that are the right age? As lazy as it is shameless," someone commented on a Reddit thread. Another wrote, "They look like young looking 50-year-olds." The digs continued: "I love that they picked an actual 40-year-old with a receding hairline," another Redditor said.

"@lifetime making a “mockery” “based on a true story” lifetime movie to spread awareness as you say. This is not spreading awareness as there is really no real footage of actually what happened. You are taking actors and placing them into a movie acting as these two people who had real lives. Gabby lost her life She didn’t ask for his and neither did her family. As a mom or soon to be mom I would absolutely be mortified if my child was murdered or whatever happened and you decided to make a “based on a true story” with actors about it. You should really think about this effects the families considering they have not given their consent on this so called movie. Really sickening how people make money off of a real family and a real even that took place and someone’s life that was lost," a comment said.

'The Gabby Petito Story' releases on October 1, 2022.