CNN has commissioned a feature-length documentary on Hillary Clinton from director Charles Ferguson, as media outlets prepare for a potentially lucrative market for the former secretary of state, U.S. senator and First Lady in anticipation she will run for president in 2016.
On Saturday, NBC announced plans for a miniseries about Clinton, with Diane Lane starring, set to air before Clinton would launch a campaign.
The CNN documentary will be made through its CNN Films unit, and will “take a comprehensive look at the professional and personal life of one of the most powerful women in American politics.” A theatrical run in 2014 is planned before it is shown on CNN.
Ferguson produced and directed “Inside Job,” about the 2008 financial crisis, which won the Oscar in 2011 for best documentary. He also directed “No End in Sight,” about the American occupation in Iraq and released in 2007.
A feature biopic, “Rodham,” also has been in development with James Ponsoldt directing, depicting Clinton’s early days in Washington.
Clinton has not said whether she will make another bid for the presidency, and an announcement may not come until after the 2014 midterms. Some conservatives already are criticizing some of the projects, claiming that they will be “airbrushed,” while others have questioned whether the movies will affect coverage of the campaign by the network news divisions.
Saying that NBC News “will have nothing to do with” the Clinton miniseries, the network’s Chuck Todd tweeted on Saturday, “Can already imagine how either Clinton lovers or haters will assume some sort of NBC News involvement. Trust me, we have day jobs.”
