Michael J. Fox, the Hollywood star who became a powerful advocate for medical research, will be the subject of a new documentary from Oscar-winning filmmaker Davis Guggenheim. Apple Original Films has nabbed the rights to the movie, which is currently in production in New York, Los Angeles and Vancouver.
The film, which is still untitled, will chart Fox’s extraordinary career, documenting his rise to the pinnacle of the movie and television business thanks to roles in “Family Ties” and “Back to the Future.” It will also look at Fox’s struggles with celebrity once he climbed those heights, as well as his diagnosis, at 29, with Parkinson’s disease and the impact that had on his personal and professional life. Apple says the film will incorporate documentary, archival and scripted elements, and is being produced with unprecedented access to Fox and his family.
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“With a mix of adventure and romance, comedy and drama, watching the film will feel like… well, like a Michael J. Fox movie,” the company said.
Guggenheim is best known for directing “An Inconvenient Truth,” “Waiting for Superman” and “He Named Me Malala.” The untitled Michael J. Fox feature film is produced by Concordia Studio. Guggenheim, Annetta Marion (“Oprah’s Master Class”), Will Cohen (“Divide and Conquer”) and Jonathan King (“Spotlight,” “Roma,” “Green Book”) serve as producers, with Laurene Powell Jobs (“Boys State,” “A Thousand Cuts”), Jonathan Silberberg (“Time,” “Boys State,” “Summer of Soul [… Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised]”), Nicole Stott (“Time,” “Boys State,” “Summer of Soul” [… Or, “When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised”]) and Fox’s long-time producing partner Nelle Fortenberry (“Adventures of an Incurable Optimist”) executive producing.
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