Actors Cast as Tsarnaev Brothers in Marathon Bombing Movie

BOSTON, MA - "Patriots Day," an upcoming film about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and subsequent manhunt for the attackers, has cast the Tsarnaev brothers.

Themo Melikidze will take on the role of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the older of the two brothers who carried out the bombings three years ago. He was killed in an exchange with law enforcement four days after the attacks.

His younger brother, Dzhokhar, will be played by Alex Wolff. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was apprehended after the manhunt during which Tamerlan was killed; he was found guilty of carrying out the bombings and sentenced to death in 2015.

This will be Melikidze's second feature-length film after "A Beautiful Something," coming in May. Wolff, who as a kid starred alongside his brother Nat on the Nickelodeon show "The Naked Brothers Band," continued working in TV and film after the show ended in 2009.

In addition to Melikidze and Wolff, Roxbury native Michael Beach was cast this week as former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick.

"Patriots Day" stars Mark Wahlberg as a Boston Police officer, John Goodman as former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis, J.K. Simmons as Watertown Police Sgt. Jeffrey Pugliese and Kevin Bacon as FBI special agent Richard DesLauriers.

The film, which is set to premiere in Boston, New York and Los Angeles Dec. 21 before receiving a wide release Jan. 11, began shooting in the Boston area in March.

Patch File Photo