Scorsese Film on Bill Clinton Shelved Over Control Issues

Martin Scorsese's documentary about Bill Clinton is on hold indefinitely after the former president demanded more control over interview questions and the final version than the famed director wanted to allow, according to sources close to the film.

HBO, which is backing the project, admits that the movie is "not happening soon, but that doesn't mean it's not going to happen," reports The New York Times. Clinton spokesman Matt McKenna called the assertions about the movie "inaccurate," but didn't elaborate, the Times said.

The documentary had at one point seemed likely to be released while Hillary Clinton would be running for president, and parts of the film were shot during the last two years while Clinton was making philanthropic trips to Africa and other locations.

There are also open questions about how the Clintons' daughter, Chelsea, would be involved in the film or on its production team, the sources, speaking on condition of anonymity because of confidentiality agreements, told The Times.

Scorsese, at 72, is remaining busy despite the apparent hold on the Clinton movie, including making preparations for another movie, "Silence," which stars Liam Neeson and Andrew Garfield and is about Jesuit priests.

But in 2012, Scorsese said his film on Clinton would "provide greater insight into this transcendent figure," and Clinton said he was pleased that a "legendary director" picked him as a subject.

However, with his wife potentially seeking the Democratic nomination in 2016, there was the potential that the movie could provide ammunition against her campaign. The sources told The Times that people close to the former president sought to approve questions he would be asked and to demand final cut approval, which does not usually happen with directors like Scorsese.

Chelsea Clinton, who worked at NBC News as a correspondent, left her job and works closely with her father, and some in the Clintons' circle thought she would be credited in the Scorsese movie as a producer. Her spokesman, though, said that the claims were "categorically false."

And while Clinton is typically seen as a strong asset for his wife, in 2008, when she campaigned against then Sen. Barack Obama, he made comments that many found racially insensitive.

Several other projects about the Clintons have also gone by the wayside in recent months, including a CNN documentary and an NBC mini-series about Hillary Clinton, and a planned feature film, "Rodham," about a romance about the political couple.

In the case of "Rodham," the project did not have any interference from the Clinton camp, but rather issues concerning who would write it.

The network programming was also pulled after Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus threatened to stop both NBC and CNN from airing the Republican primary debates in the 2016 election, claiming the programming aimed at "promoting" Clinton, the likely Democratic front-runner.

But Scorsese's film, as a documentary, depends on Clinton support. HBO has also produced films about former presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, and Scorsese has worked with the cable network on documentaries about George Harrison and Fran Lebowitz and was an executive producer for "Boardwalk Empire."

Related Stories:

• CNN's Crowley: Hillary Doc 'Makes it Very Difficult For Me'
• Hollywood in New Talks to Make Hillary Clinton Movie