Say what you will about Morgan Spurlock’s abilities as a documentary filmmaker, the man knows how to pick fascinating subject mater. His very well-received Super Size Me infiltrated pop culture unlike any debut non-fiction since Michael Moore’s Roger & Me, and while not as many people saw his follow-up, there was still a ton of buzz surrounding Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden? both before and after its ’08 Sundance premiere. His newest effort is peaking widespread interest, and one studio seems already poised to purchase it.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony Pictures Classics is showing heavy interest almost two weeks before the festival opening of The Greatest Film Ever Sold. The documentary follows Spurlock, once again a subject in his own movie, as he examines sponsorships and corporate tie-ins and how they alter and shape the film industry. Ultimately, he attempts to get the actual corporations themselves to sponsor the film in a multi-layered branding of branding approach. It sounds like a mouthful, but it’s actually quite clever.
The Greatest Film Ever Sold will get purchased by someone. Whether it be Sony Pictures Classics or another distributor, Morgan Spurlock is enough of a name to draw interest. The only question is how much someone will pay and how aggressive they will ultimately be getting it into theaters. Most documentaries play in a few dozen arthouse theaters in preparation for a life on HBO or OnDemand; a few are deemed promising enough to open in a few hundred theaters or more. We’ll see which route this one takes.
If The Greatest Film Ever Sold is half as good as Neil Young's middle finger to the advertising world, "This Note's For You", we'll all be in business.
