HBO has acquired the U.S. TV rights to the documentary film “David Bowie: The Last Five Years.”
The film, directed and produced by Francis Whately, spotlights the critically acclaimed albums “The Next Day” and “Blackstar,” as well as the stage musical “Lazarus” and offers new insights into Bowie’s creativity during the final five years of his life.
It features rarely seen Bowie interviews, archival footage, audio from the recording sessions for “The Next Day” and “Blackstar,” and access to Bowie’s closest friends and artistic collaborators.
“Looking at Bowie’s extraordinary creativity during the last five years of his life has allowed me to reexamine his life’s work and move beyond the simplistic view that his career was simply predicated on change,” said Whately. “HBO, whose global output the world admires, is a great channel to get this incredible documentary out to the U.S. fans.”
“David Bowie: The Last Five Years” is a BBC Films production directed and produced by Whately and executive produced by Phil Dolling. The deal with HBO was negotiated by Melissa Green, VP of factual TV sales and co-productions at BBC Worldwide North America.
Bowie died on Jan. 10, 2016, after battling liver cancer for almost two years.
He posthumously swept the 2017 Grammy Awards with five wins for “Blackstar,” his final album, including: Best Rock Performance; Best Alternative Music Album; Best Recording Package; Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical; and Best Rock Song.