Russell Brand documentary to be directed by Albert Maysles; Oliver Stone producing
I’m trying to think of a bigger WTF piece of news to hit the interwebs in a long time.
According to The Guardian (via The Playlist), it appears as though Albert Maysles, director of fantastic documentaries like GREY GARDENS and GIMME SHELTER, is currently in production of a documentary on comedian Russell Brand, with Oliver Stone backing him as a producer.
I’ll let that sit in for a second.
Brand spoke to Salon a little over a year ago, and apparently hinted at this film:
“I’m making a documentary with Oliver Stone about enlightenment and happiness…We’re going off to India, meeting all sorts of people, talking to people about happiness and enlightenment. What is the void we’re trying to fulfill? Some swami said to me that all forms of desire are the inappropriate substitutes for the desire we feel to be at one with God, or truth, or whatever it is. And I think that’s true.”
This may seem out of step for Brand’s style, but knowing that he’s a recovering drug addict who has beliefs based in Buddhism, this seems right down his alley. It’s definitely one hell of an odd and colorful combination, but honestly, this project is one I can’t wait to check out. A spiritual documentary from the likes of Maysles and Stone lead by Brand has me intensely interested. Now all we have to wait for is news that we will actually get a chance to see it— which may be up in the air. Hopefully Brand will have enough name power to at least get it put out on an outlet like HBO, who do love their documentaries.
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