NEW YORK — EPIX has acquired U.S. broadcasting and streaming rights to Barry Avrich’s feature-length documentary film on Bob Guccione, the late founder of Penthouse Magazine.
According to EPIX's announcement, "Filthy Gorgeous: The Extraordinary World of Bob Guccione" is "an honest, hard-hitting account of the Renaissance man and provocateur."
The EPIX original documentary begins production this Fall and will premiere on EPIX in the Fall of 2013 as part of the network’s Wednesday Docs series.
The filmmakers say "Filthy Gorgeous" will the story of "a visionary, public-relations master, recluse and self-destructive optimist, who went from the pinnacle of power, worth hundreds of millions of dollars — to virtually dying penniless."
Filmmaker Barry Avrich decided to make "Filthy Gorgeous" the day Guccione passed away. “I realized that Guccione’s outrageous, yet powerful legacy, could be a spectacular film," Avrich said. "Whether making films, dethroning Miss America, or pushing the envelope in science and publishing, Guccione was an icon.”
With dreams of establishing his own movie studio, Guccione branched out into Hollywood, investing money in "The Longest Yard," "The Day of the Locust and Chinatown." In 1976, he began work on "Caligula," the world's first big budget X-rated film.
Avrich’s past directing efforts have included documentaries on powerful entertainment moguls: "Unauthorized: The Harvey Weinstein Project and The Last Mogul: The Lew Wasserman Story."
Produced, written and directed by Avrich, "Filthy Gorgeous: The Extraordinary World of Bob Guccione" is a Melbar Entertainment Group production in association with EPIX, Astral’s The Movie Network and Corus Entertainment’s Movie Cental, with funding from Rogers Telefund, CAVCO and the OMDC.
