HBO has acquired the U.S. TV rights to Martin Scorsese’s “Public Speaking,” a documentary about writer/social commentator Fran Leibowitz.
The cable station, which will premiere the Scorsese produced Atlantic City gangster series “Boardwalk Empire” this fall, will broadcast the doc in November. Details are scarce on the feature length film but it is apparently in the vein of “Italianamerican” and “American Boy.”
In related news, PBS in conjunction with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has acquired Scorsese’s “A Letter To Elia” as part of their American Masters series. The film explores the life and work of director Elia Kazan and was met with positive reviews after making its World Premiere at the Venice Film Festival and its North American premiere at Telluride this past weekend. The film will be broadcast on PBS on October 4th.
These are just a couple of the documentaries that the director has been working on including a history of British film with longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker, a documentary on George Harrison and possibly a follow-up to “My Voyage To Italy.” If that weren’t enough, Scorsese is currently hard at work shooting his first 3D film, “Hugo Cabret.” [Deadline]