Whether you like him or not, Michael Moore's name will be invariably etched into any talk of documentary filmmaking from now until forever. Moore was behind three of the top five grossing documentaries of all time and he's looking to make a sequel to the film that holds the number one spot, Fahrenheit 9/11. Variety reports that Moore will be leaving the Weinstein Co. to make his sequel for Overture Films and Paramount Vantage, which will shop the film for buyers at next year's Cannes Film Festival.
Moore's decision to leave the Weinstein Co. may be spurred by the poor box office showing of his last documentary, Sicko. Fahrenheit 9/11 won the prestigious Palm d'Or at Cannes in 2004 en route to becoming the highest grossing documentary ever, earning a domestic $119.1 million. He's already worked on the sequel and it could play at Cannes next year if it isn't released earlier in the spring.
Fahrenheit 9/11 was a scathing critique of the Bush administration's war on terrorism and the sequel will pick up where the first left off, chronically the war in Iraq and the country's subsequent economic downward spiral. Overture CEO Danny Rosett said of the arrangement "[it's] a vote of confidence on Michael's part and a great partnership for all of us. There is a voracious appetite for this kind of commentary."
When reached for comment about being the focal point of another scathing documentary, President George W. Bush retorted with "fool me once shame on....shame on you....fool me.....can't get fooled again."
