NBC, MSNBC, Australian broadcaster Nine Network and UK net Channel 4 are among the broadcasters that will rush to air a documentary boasting exclusive access to Dr Conrad Murray (pictured), who was today convicted for the involuntary manslaughter of late singer Michael Jackson.
Michael Jackson and the Doctor: A Fatal Friendship (1 x 50-minutes) and an accompanying exclusive news interview with Murray (1 x 15-minutes) have both been produced by UK indie October Films, in association with What’s It All About? Productions.
The documentary, from director Tom Roberts, promises to explore “the surreal world inhabited by Jackson in the last three months of his life,” while also examining “his fatal friendship with the doctor he handpicked to care for himself and his children.”
The two companies secured exclusive access to Murray in November 2009, prior to him being charged, and “filmed with Dr Murray throughout the intervening two years and have continued to record with him during the trial,” according to Zodiak Rights, which is handling distribution and pre-sales for the project.
Jane Millichip, executive producer for Zodiak Rights, said: “The combination of unique access and first-rate filmmaking make this documentary and news interview truly landmark television. The collaboration of MSNBC, NBC, Nine Network and Channel 4 has been vital in delivering this great piece of television.”
Nine Network in Australia is slated to be first off the block, airing the documentary this coming Thursday (November 10), while MSNBC in the U.S. will air the documentary a day later (November 11), at 10 p.m. EST and again on Sunday (November 13) at 9 p.m. EST. Channel 4 in the UK will also transmit later this week.
Zodiak said it has brought on board more than 10 more international broadcasters who will swiftly follow with their transmissions.
The exclusive news interview with Murray was conducted by UK-based journalist Steve Hewlett on Sunday, October 30, and is billed as the only interview Murray will conduct.
Adam Bullmore, executive producer for October Films, said: “Made with remarkable levels of access and complete editorial independence, we believe this film was the most complete and accurate story of what really happened to Michael Jackson and Conrad Murray on June 25, 2009, and why.”
The news comes after a jury today found the Texas physician, who administered a powerful surgical anesthetic to Michael Jackson hours before his death in 2009, guilty of involuntary manslaughter following a six-week trial. Murray now faces up to four years in prison and the suspension of his medical license.