EXCLUSIVE: Oprah Winfrey is getting the biographical documentary treatment after Apple TV+ ordered a two-parter focusing on the billionaire multi-hyphenate.
Academy Award-winner Kevin MacDonald is re-teaming with Emmy-nominated producer Lisa Erspamer and her banner Happy Street Entertainment on the project. The pair previously made Whitney Houston biographical doc Whitney.
Winfrey was known to be a fan of that film, having tweeted at Erspamer back in 2018 calling the movie “fearless”. Winfrey and Erspamer also have a long-standing relationship from when the latter produced The Oprah Winfrey Show for a decade between 1999 and 2009.
The new doc will chronicle 25 years of American history through the lens of one show and one woman who rose from humble roots to become a globally famous talk show host, producer, actress and philanthropist. MacDonald is directing the two-parter, Emmy nominee Rolake Bamgbose is serving as showrunner.
The project joins a growing list of unscripted shows Apple is working on with Winfrey’s Harpo after the two companies inked a multi-year deal back in 2018. They include The Oprah Conversation, Oprah’s Book Club and Oprah Talks COVID-19, which are all currently streaming.
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