HBO is preparing for a controversial Scientology Film exposing the “controversial religion and its famous followers”
When the Lawrence Wright’s Scientology book Going Clear was released in 2013, the Church of Scientology International released a statement that began with the following: “Mr. Wright’s book is so ludicrous it belongs in a supermarket tabloid. The claims are nothing more than a stale rehash of allegations disproven long ago.”
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If a book can cause so much controversy, imagine what kind of reaction the new HBO documentary will do.
THR has learned that Oscar winner Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side) is putting the finishing touches on a film that tackles the Church of Scientology and its Tinseltown tentacles. HBO, no stranger to controversy, having ushered such hot-button docs as The Case Against 8 and the Paradise Lost trilogy to the screen, is eyeing a 2015 airdate.
The film, which is expected to feature new revelations about the controversial religion and its famous followers Tom Cruise and John Travolta, almost certainly will draw an aggressive response from the notoriously litigious church. (Via)
HBO Documentary Films president Sheila Nevins commented “we have probably 160 lawyers [looking at the film].”
The Church of Scientology has, from its inception, been one of the most controversial religions, often times coming into conflict witht the government and police forces of several countries. The Church of Scientology also filed hundreds of lawsuits against governments, organizations and individuals.
Time Magazine published an article in 1991 which described Scientology as “a hugely profitable global racket that survives by intimidating members and critics in a Mafia-like manner.”
The director of the upcoming Scientology documentary directed the documentary Taxi to the Dark Side for HBO in 2007, and was also the director of 2005’s Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.
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The upcoming documentary will not be the first time HBO has released a controversial documentary. The Case Against 8 and Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God are among the most controversial documentaries to be released by the HBO network.
HBO is also planning on releasing an a controversial exposé on the Hollywood child sex ring, which is titled ‘An Open Secret’.
The film centers on the rise and demise of Den, an early digital network that’s alleged to have been the center of a Hollywood sex-abuse ring.
The movie features extensive interviews with Michael Eagan, who, subsequent to participating in the film, drew headlines for his allegations against Hollywood elites including Bryan Singer. (He subsequently dropped the lawsuit.) [Variety]
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