CNN cancels Hillary Clinton doc
CNN’s feature-length Hillary Clinton documentary — a project that was to focus on the former Secretary of State’s professional and personal life, helmed by Academy Award winner Charles Ferguson — is no more.
This morning, Ferguson published a lengthy Huffington Post article in which he reveals that he has canceled the project — and explains why he’s pulling out.
The reason, in a nutshell: “When I approached people for interviews, I discovered that nobody, and I mean nobody, was interested in helping me make this film,” Ferguson writes. “Not Democrats, not Republicans — and certainly nobody who works with the Clintons, wants access to the Clintons, or dreams of a position in a Hillary Clinton administration. Not even journalists who want access, which can easily be taken away.”
Ultimately, Ferguson says, “only two persons who had ever dealt with Mrs. Clinton would agree to an on-camera interview, and I suspected that even they would back out.”
Ferguson calls the project’s demise “a victory for the Clintons, and for the money machines that both political parties have now become.” It will certainly please RNC chairman Reince Priebus, who called the doc an “extended commercial” for a possible Clinton presidential campaign. (Clinton has not yet revealed whether she will run for president in 2016.) Over the summer, the RNC voted to block CNN from hosting future GOP primary debates if the network ran the Clinton movie.
CNN confirmed the film’s death in a statement given to The Wrap. “Charles Ferguson has informed us that he is not moving forward with his documentary about Hillary Clinton,” a spokesperson for the news net said. “Charles is an Academy Award winning director who CNN Films was excited to be working with, but we understand and respect his decision.”
A planned miniseries about Clinton, which caused similar controversy when it was announced in July, is still in development — though Fox TV Studios has announced that it will not produce the special. Update: NBC has canceled Hillary.