ESPN Films yesterday announced several new "30 for 30" projects, including documentaries on the ’85 Bears and the Duke lacrosse scandal, as well as the group’s first-ever mini-series, focusing on Pro Football HOFer O.J. Simpson. “The ‘85 Bears,” directed by Jason Hehir and executive produced by Vince Vaughn and Peter Billingsley, premieres on Thursday, Feb. 4. "Fantastic Lies," from director Marina Zenovich, will premiere on Sunday, March 13, which marks the 10th anniversary of the Duke lacrosse party that ignited what became a national story. Both films will air at 9:00pm ET on ESPN. Another film that looks back on the Magic teams of the mid-'90s and is directed by Erin Leyden will premiere in April. The "OJ: Made in America" mini-series will air in June (ESPN). In L.A., Scott Collins reports O.J. Simpson himself "didn't sit for an interview" for the five-part ESPN documentary. The series, which will premiere later this month at Sundance Film Festival, "interviews many of the principals in the murder case, including former prosecutor Marcia Clark" (L.A. TIMES, 1/6).
TWO VIEWS: Ezra Edelman, who directed the mini-series on Simpson, yesterday said the documentary will be a "story of race and celebrity in America and really touch on OJ’s life as a whole (as well as) the city of Los Angeles and race and going back to the ‘50s and ‘60s." VARIETY's Whitney Friedlander noted Edelman "acknowledged the buzz stirred up by FX’s upcoming drama series 'The People V. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story,'" which "includes similar footage" to that seen in the ESPN documentary. Edelman "admitted that he was frustrated about the conflicting timing of both projects." He said, "I don’t know what the appetite for O.J. is in this day and age ... (but) I am interested in this other narrative to explain the reaction that people had to the verdict and to explain that even to this day, people’s opinions break down on racial lines, people’s opinions break down on gender lines." Friedlander noted the time frame "isn’t the only difference between the ESPN and FX projects." Clark's interview for the ESPN documentary is "her first sit-down since" the trial (VARIETY.com, 1/6).
