BBC Developing 'Definitive' Documentary On Harvey Weinstein

In the wake of widespread allegations of sexual harassment, assault and rape against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, the BBC has announced it has ordered a feature-length documentary to tell the "definitive" story of the disgraced producer.

The documentary, called Weinstein, is being produced by Simon Chinn, who along with his company Lightbox previously won two Oscars for producing the documentaries Man on Wire and Searching for Sugar Man. 

"As a little bit of an [industry] insider, I was fascinated with the story as it unfolded and not a little shocked," Chinn said in an interview with Variety. "As much as people knew a lot about Harvey and his reputation, there was plenty that we didn't know."

Chinn says that the documentary will delve into Weinstein's role in the larger unfolding story of sexual harassment in Hollywood, of which the Weinstein story was only the beginning. Since the revelation of the allegations against him, a momentous cultural sea change has begun to occur in the way the topic of sexual harassment is approached in wider society.

"As the story evolved, we started to think about the industry as a whole and the culture and complicity of the industry, and the question of how Harvey got away with that level of alleged behavior and... whether we are looking at a real watershed moment," Chinn said.

The film is being directed by Ursula MacFarlane, who recently directed the documentaries One Deadly Weekend in America and Charlie Hebdo: 3 Days That Shook Paris.

Weinstein, whom Chinn has met once, will be given the opportunity to participate in the documentary if he likes. According to Chinn, the production has already uncovered unreported elements of the story of his downfall. 

Chinn also pointed out the story's relevance to both the US and the UK, with active police investigations taking place in both countries regarding allegations that have been made against Weinstein.

According to Variety, the BBC will air the documentary on TV, but is also mulling the idea of releasing the film theatrically in order to qualify for Academy and BAFTA awards. Either way, the movie is not expected to be released soon; in order to create a definitive take on the story, the producers expect to be working on the feature for most of 2018.