As expected, HBO Documentary Films has acquired U.S. TV rights to Liz Garbus’ latest film, “Love, Marilyn.” The documentary was first shown at the Telluride Film Festival, then screened at the Toronto International Film Festival Wednesday. The rights deal, which a source pegs at $1 million-plus, closed Friday.
HBO also acquired TV rights this week to the Tom Donahue-directed doc “Casting By,” another selection of the Toronto program.
READ MORE: Toronto 2012: HBO Picks Up Tom Donahue Doc ‘Casting By,’ Also Circling Liz Garbus’ ‘Love, Marilyn’
Written, directed and produced by Garbus, “Love, Marilyn” takes a new look at the icon 50 years after her death by using archival footage, audiotapes and readings from her letters, notebooks and diaries by actors such as Elizabeth Banks, Adrien Brody, Glenn Close, Viola Davis, Paul Giamatti, Oliver Platt, David Strathairn, Lili Taylor and Marisa Tomei. Stanley Buchthal and Amy Hobby also produced; Anne Carey, Olivier Courson, Harold Van Lier and Enrique Steiger are executive producers.
“My journey began in 1980 when I first met Lee Strasberg, and continued to 2009 when I co-edited Marilyn Monroe’s diaries and poems,” said Buchthal. “The tremendous odyssey continued when Liz Garbus and I joined to offer the world a unique new insight into a remarkable 20th-century icon, Marilyn Monroe.”
David Koh, Josh Braun and Dan Braun of Submarine Entertainment negotiated the deal for the filmmakers, along with Stanley Buchthal of Diamond Girl Production, LLC and Harold Van Lier of Studio Canal on behalf of the producers and director.
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