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Exclusive: Kaleidoscope Film Distribution (Kfd) is headed to Cannes next week with three new titles on its slate, including Irvine Welsh: Reality is not Enough.

The Irvine Welsh documentary explores the Scottish author’s influence and the themes of class, mortality, creativity and identity in his work. Directed by Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché and Tish filmmaker Paul Sng, it features readings by Liam Neeson, Stephen Graham, Nick Cave and Ruth Negga. Kfd holds world rights; the film is produced by Natasha Dack, and was previously titled I Am Irvine Welsh with Noah Media Group then handling sales.

(This story was updated on Dec. 18 at 9:55 a.m.)

In the race to produce a documentary special about the killing of United Healthcare CEO and alleged shooter Luigi Mangione, ABC News may be first out of the gate. Variety has learned that ABC News Studios is crashing the one-hour special “Manhunt: Luigi Mangione and the CEO Murder — A Special Edition of 20/20,” which will air on Thursday, Dec. 19 at 10 p.m. Et on ABC.

The special will also be available to watch live with Hulu + Live TV and stream the next day on Hulu.

Per the logline, “The one-hour film takes a deep dive into a story that riveted the nation, providing a minute-by-minute investigation of the cold-blooded execution of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the shocking social media backlash that turned the alleged murderer into a folk hero for some. The special also reveals new details about the hunt for the suspect,...

The race to produce true crime and documentary about Luigi Mangione — the man accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York — continues to get more crowded. Next up, Variety has learned that Warner Bros. Discovery true crime network Investigation Discovery is readying its own take on the story, which has dominated headlines in recent days. The project, with the working title “Who Is Luigi Mangione?” is set to premiere in February.

TV host, reporter and Law & Crime founder Dan Abrams is behind the hour-long special, which ID confirmed, adding that it would delve “into the lingering questions surrounding Mangione’s arrest and explores how a young man of such wealth and privilege could seemingly commit such a heinous crime” while aiming to “explore the psychology behind the alleged assassin.”

Abrams is CEO and Founder of Abrams Media, chief legal affairs correspondent for ABC News, host of NewsNation...

In what is turning out to be a banner day for announcing Luigi Mangione documentary projects, a New Luigi Mangione documentary project has entered the fray. Mere hours after the announcement of Alex Gibney's, Emmy-nominated producer of Netflix's Amanda Knox documentary, Stephen Robert Morse, has announced that his own docu-project revolving around the most-talked-about man in America.

In an exclusive report from Variety, Morse laid forth his aspirations for the project, and its coverage of the murder of United HealthCare CEO Brian Thompson at the hands of Mangione. The story of the 26-year-old shooter has the nation — and Hollywood, at least today — by the throat, given the brazenness of his crime and his meteoric rise to something of a folk hero on social media. Will a third Luigi Mangione documentary film and/or docu-series enter the arena before the day is through?

What's The Deal With This Luigi Mangione Documentary?...

American-British filmmaker Stephen Robert Morse, best known for his work on popular non-fiction features like Netflix’s Amanda Knox and How to Rob a Bank is developing his own feature documentary on the suspected UnitedHealthcare killer Luigi Mangione.

Morse, a two-time Emmy nominee, will direct the feature, which producers told us will examine the December 2024 murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the aftermath through the perspectives of all those affected, including the involved families and Mangione himself.

“This case is complex and raises important questions about vigilantism, the devastating cost of a privatized healthcare system, and the inevitability of violence when peaceful change is seen as impossible,” Morse told us this afternoon. “My goal is to present a balanced exploration of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s assassination, showing all sides of the story while respecting the profound loss of life and its impact on everyone involved.”

Morse continued,...

A second high-profile documentary is in the works about UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione.

Two-time Emmy nominee Stephen Robert Morse, who produced Netflix documentary “Amanda Knox” and also directed “How to Rob a Bank” for the streamer — a true-crime documentary about prolific bank robber Scott Scurlock – is turning his attention to Mangione, who last week was apprehended by police in connection with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Earlier today Anonymous Content and Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Prods confirmed they are also pursuing a separate documentary project about the case.

Morse’s doc is set to explore the various perspectives of those embroiled in the murder and its aftermath, including the victims, their families and Mangione himself, as well as the moral complexities thrown up by Thompson’s murder. Alongside the case the documentary will provide historical context around one of America’s most pressing – and polarizing – issues,...

Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions and Anonymous Content are teaming to develop and produce a documentary project about the murder of US health insurance executive Brian Thompson and the national debate about health care the killing has sparked.

The companies have not said whether the project will be a feature or a streaming series, or whether Oscar-winner Gibney will himself direct.

UnitedHealthcare CEO Thompson was shot and killed on December 4 in Manhattan. On December 9, Luigi Mangione was arrested and charged in connection with the shooting following a five-day hunt for the alleged killer. Mangione, who was found with a handwritten manifesto about the healthcare industry,...

Following the success of last year's Mario movie, two documentaries are in the works about Luigi. Mangione, that is. Alex Gibney's Jigsaw Productions will assemble one of the Mangione documentaries. Over the last 20 years, Gibney has made some of the best documentaries about the decay of modern life, including...

Between 1992 and 1996 in Seattle, a serial bank robber shook the city to its core. Pulling off a staggering 19 heists, he entered the annals of crime as one of the most prolific bank robbers in US history. Dubbed “Hollywood” by the FBI due to his elaborate disguises, the real name of this man was Scott Scurlock. Through it all, he evaded capture, taunting the police in what seemed like a personal game of cat and mouse. His story reads like the pages of a Hollywood thriller.

Directors Stephen Robert Morse and Seth Porges delve behind the headlines in their gripping documentary “How to Rob a Bank”. Beyond the sensational details of each heist, they aim to get to the root of what drove Hollywood—to peer into the mind of this criminal mastermind and find the answers to the age-old question of why. Through interviews with those close to him, his accomplices,...

Docuseries “Fugitive: The Mystery of the Crypto Queen,” about one of the most wanted women in the world, has sold across 31 territories, Variety can confirm.

The globe-spanning mystery, which filmed across North America, Europe, Asia and Africa, tells the story of Ruja Ignatova, the founder of fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme OneCoin and the only woman on the FBI’s top 10 Most Wanted list.

“Only one fraudster has made both the FBI and Interpol’s 2022 Most Wanted lists,” reads the synopsis. “After exploiting the cryptocurrency boom in ‘one of the biggest scams in history’, Ruja Ignatova disappeared without a trace – along with billions of dollars. And now the world wants to know where she is.”

The docu-series was written and directed by Rudolph Herzog (“Last Exit: Space”) and Raid Sabbah (“How to Fake a War”), who speak to victims and experts to build a portrait of Ignatova.

Dare Pictures and Tondowski Films...

Despite its title, “How to Rob a Bank” is not an instructional video on how to commit crime. Instead, as its co-director Stephen Robert Morse tells Variety, it’s a documentary about “the consequences of crime.”

The doc, which dropped on Netflix last week, focuses on a prolific ‘90s Seattle bank robber called Scott Scurlock, whom the FBI soon nicknamed Hollywood due to his penchant for elaborate disguises.

Morse (a producer on “Amanda Knox”) and his co-director Seth Porges (“Class Action Park”) began working on the film back in 2020 and quickly tracked down many of those involved in the notorious case.

As the documentary works its way into the streamer’s global top 10, Morse sat down with Variety to discuss the genesis of the project and what he learned from getting up close and personal with a notorious bank robber.

How did you get involved with this project?

My collaborator,...

Mark Biggins and Steve Meyers netted over $2.3 million from 19 bank heists in Seattle during the 1990s, fueled by the tech boom. The enigmatic mastermind, Scott Scurlock, led a double life and orchestrated the operation, ultimately leading to a deadly shootout with police. Mark Biggins and Steven Meyers were sentenced to 21 years in prison, with Biggins' sentence reduced to 21 years and three months.

How to Rob a Bank examines the gripping true story of Mark Biggins and Steve Meyers, who orchestrated a series of daring bank heists across Seattle during the 1990s, but their story continued after the events of the documentary. The Netflix documentary explores how the tech boom of that era fueled their criminal endeavors, with Biggins and Meyers netting over $2.3 million from 19 confirmed robberies. Drawing from interviews with the robbers themselves, as well as friends and family members, the Netflix true-crime documentary delves into the intricate planning and execution of these heists,...

Scott Scurlock, along with his accomplices, orchestrated 19 daring bank robberies in Seattle, stealing $2.3 million in the 1990s. The Netflix documentary delves into Scurlock's meticulous planning, charismatic persona, and transformation from a premed student to a seasoned robber. Scurlock's heists involved disguises, insider information, and precise timing, making him one of the most prolific bank robbers in U.S. history.

Scott Scurlock, the enigmatic mastermind behind a series of daring bank heists across Seattle in the 1990s, is the focal point of Netflix's latest documentary, How to Rob a Bank. Directed by Seth Porges and Stephen Robert Morse, the Netflix true crime documentary delves into the gripping true story of Scurlock, along with his accomplices Mark Biggins and Steve Meyers, who orchestrated these heists during the tech boom era. Drawing from archival footage and interviews with the robbers, their friends, family members, How to Rob a Bank explores the intricate planning and execution of these heists.

“How to Rob a Bank” is a Netflix documentary directed by Seth Porges and Stephen Robert Morse.

In the bustling city of Seattle during the early 90s, a man with an affinity for Hollywood heist movies embarked on a daring spree of bank heists, earning him the nickname “Hollywood” among FBI agents. This gentleman astonishingly managed to rob four banks in a single afternoon. This same setting gave rise to tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon, coffee powerhouse Starbucks, and the legendary grunge band Nirvana.

Scott Scurlock, bright and educated in medicine, biology, and chemistry, had an insatiable love for money. He made a hefty fortune manufacturing methamphetamines and when that needed to stop, he turned his attention to robbing banks. Forming a group, they began with small-scale heists, with meager hauls of $2,000 or $3,000. But when Scott hit the main vault, their heists grew, attracting the attention of the FBI.

Talk to a police officer, anywhere in the world, and they’ll tell you the same thing: most criminals are stupid. That’s how they get caught. Generally speaking, smart people don’t go in for crime – they can think of less risky ways to get what they want. But what if they did? Directed by Seth Porges (of Class Action Park fame) and Stephen Robert Morse (who produced 2016’s Amanda Knox), How To Rob A Bank tells the true story of the man they called Hollywood, who fell on hard times, watched Point Break, and commenced a crime spree unlike anything seen before or since.

It happened in Seattle, though at times the events recounted here make it sound more like Gotham City. “When he walked into Lake City bank to rob us, he walked straight past his wanted poster,” one bank teller recalls. by then he’d abandoned the dead.

Nearly two dozen bank robberies. Millions of dollars in spoils. During the 1990s, a masterfully prolific bank robber began an unprecedented crime spree throughout the city of Seattle. As law enforcement officials tried — and repeatedly failed — to apprehend the person responsible, they came up with a nickname for the elusive man behind a series of facial prosthetics and extensive makeup: Hollywood.

How to Rob a Bank,the new documentary film from directors Stephen Robert Morse and Seth Porges, features interviews with Scott Scurlock’s accomplices and friends, the journalists who covered the drama as it unfolded, and the detectives and agents who ultimately brought the rash of robberies to an end.

The man behind the enigmatic Hollywood identity was a preacher’s son who started cooking meth in college. He used the money to buy property in Olympia, Washington. Scurlock decided to pivot to bank robberies after seeing the movie...

How To Rob A Bank Image: Netflix Spoiler alert: How To Rob A Bank is not going to teach you how to make off with millions from a local financial institution. It is, however, a more compact, marketable title than How This One Dude Robbed A Bunch Of Banks For As Long As He Could,...

How To Rob A BankImage: Netflix

Spoiler alert: How To Rob A Bank is not going to teach you how to make off with millions from a local financial institution. It is, however, a more compact, marketable title than How This One Dude Robbed A Bunch Of Banks For As Long As He Could,...

Summer doesn’t officially begin until June 20, 2024, but for the entertainment industry, the summer season starts in early May. In fact, as far as the Netflix streaming service is concerned, summer this year starts on May 3rd, so they have just unveiled their full 2024 Summer Movie slate! As they put it, “Summertime: The living is easy, school’s (almost) out, and the days are growing longer and hotter — which means there’s plenty of space for cool nights spent on the couch. Curl up with family, pals, or a really big bowl of popcorn, and queue up your next Netflix obsession.” Here’s what they’ll have to offer over the next few months:

May 3

Unfrosted

Genre: Comedy

Synopsis: Michigan, 1963. Kellogg’s and Post, sworn cereal rivals, race to create a pastry that will change the face of breakfast. A tale of ambition, betrayal, sugar, and menacing milkmen, Unfrosted stars...

A cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that pulled in an estimated 4 billion worldwide is getting the documentary treatment.

Sky Germany, the U.K.’s Channel 4 and super-indie Fremantle are backing a three-part doc series about the con, which was spearheaded by the mysterious Dr. Ruja Ignatova, who is still on the run from law enforcement officials.

“Crypto Queen” (working title) promises to shed exclusive new light on one of the biggest digital scams of the last decade. Produced by Tondowski Films and Derren Lawford’s Dare Pictures, the series explores the story of how self-styled lawyer and Bulgarian businesswoman Dr. Ruja Ignatova, dubbed ‘The Queen of Crypto,’ scammed investors out of billions of dollars in less than three years through her cryptocurrency brainchild, OneCoin.

At her peak, in 2016, Ignatova presented OneCoin on stage in Wembley stadium and hosted lavish parties in Dubai and New York, all at the expense of her investors.

Exclusive: Producer and director Seth Porges (Class Action Park) has signed with CAA for representation in all areas.

Porges is maybe best known for his work on the summer’s hit feature documentary Class Action Park, about a famously dangerous New Jersey amusement park, which debuted at No. 1 on HBO Max.

He has several projects in the works, including a collaboration with Soledad O’Brien Productions and a true-con documentary with producers Stephen Robert Morse (Amanda Knox) and Max Peltz of Lone Wolf Studios.

A journalist by trade, Porges is a regular commentator on cable news, and has appeared on History Channel, Discovery, and National Geographic. He has also appeared as an expert in roughly 50 episodes of Travel Channel’s Mysteries at the Museum and multiple seasons of Science’s What on Earth?

Previously, Porges was an editor at Popular Mechanics and Maxim magazines, and has contributed to dozens of publications,...

Producers Stephen Robert Morse and Max Peltz are joining forces to launch a new production entity, Lone Wolf Studios.

The full-service production, sales and financing film and television company will have offices in London, New York and Los Angeles. Morse, whose producing work on the Netflix documentary “Amanda Knox” earned an Emmy nomination in 2017, said the “‘lone wolf’ identity of our company reflects the non-conformist ethos that Max and I feel as producers. Whatever obstacles and hurdles our characters face, and whatever unique decisions they make, we’re ready to capture those moments on screen.”

The company already has a number of projects in various stages of production, including a boxing documentary with Grain Media and a true-con documentary with Seth Porges of “Class Action Park.” Also in the works is a scripted series with Fuqua Films, Propagate and CBS Studios.

“We’re trying to be a different sort of...

Exclusive: Daniel Schulman’s bestselling nonfiction book Sons of Wichita: How the Koch Brothers Became America’s Most Powerful and Private Dynasty is in the works for the small screen. Stephen Robert Morse’s Observatory and Max Peltz’s Cavendish Pictures have optioned the rights to the book to develop both fiction and non-fiction projects. The plan is likely for a limited series as well as a documentary, they say. The deal comes just days after the passing of billionaire industrialist David Koch.

SmithDehn Llp, is backing the project as production counsel.

With strong positions on issues like climate change denial and small government, the Koch brothers have been a political tour de force for decades. The Libertarian and Republican- supporting Koch brothers have donated hundreds of millions of dollars to right wing causes.

“This is the most...

“Amanda Knox” producer Stephen Robert Morse is launching development of projects based on the book “Sons of Wichita: How the Koch Brothers Became America’s Most Powerful and Private Dynasty.”

Morse has teamed with veteran producer Max Peltz to option the rights to create both fiction and non-fiction projects based on Daniel Schulman’s 2014 book about David and Charles Koch, the owners of Koch Industries. Morse is producing through Observatory LLC and Peltz through Cavendish Pictures Ltd.

David Koch died on Aug. 23 at the age of 79. The Koch brothers have used their massive fortune to further their political interests, and are often credited with giving rise to the Tea Party movement and helping land Donald Trump the presidency.

Morse said, “This is the most definitive story of a true American dynasty, and with so many potent political issues at the forefront, it is as relevant today as ever before.”

Divergent...

New York City’s annual Doc NYC festival kicks off this week, including a full-to-bursting slate of some of this year’s most remarkable documentaries. If you’ve been looking to beef up on your documentary consumption, Doc NYC is the perfect chance to check out a wide variety of some of the year’s best fact-based features. Ahead, we pick out 14 of our most anticipated films from the fest, including some awards contenders, a handful of buzzy debuts, and a number of festival favorites. Take a look and start filling up your schedule now.

Doc NYC runs November 9 – 16 in New York City.

“EuroTrump”

Donald Trump may seem like a sui generis figure, a one-of-a-kind monster who was forged in a perfect storm of racism, tweets, and chaos, but history suggests that he’s really just a new breed of an old type. You don’t even have to look...

Exclusive: Documentary centres on controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders.

The Film Sales Company president Andrew Herwitz has picked up worldwide sales right to Wilders ahead of its debut at Sheffield Doc/Fest.

Stephen Robert Morse – who produced Netflix title Amanda Knox – and Nick Hampson directed Wilders and Morse co-wrote alongside executive producer Maria Springer.

The film centres on the right-wing politician Geert Wilders as he runs for Dutch prime minister and explores the life and work of a public figure known as the Dutch Donald Trump.

Wilders’ xenophobic stance against Muslim immigrants has led to death threats and forced him to live under constant protection for the past 12 years.

Herwitz reports early buyer interest in the English-language documentary heading into the first screening on June 12. The film screens a second time on June 13.

The Film Sales Company’s sales slate includes the European premiere of Forbidden Games and director jeff Malmberg’s Spettacolo, which Grasshopper...