Blatt’s aborted show “The Ultimate, Ultimate Challenge,” which ended production before it was finished, tested the limits of the human psyche by starving contestants on a deserted island and presenting them with what they thought to be human flesh to eat. A contestant was critically injured on the show, forcing production to shut down.
A spokesman for Acme Pictures, the company that documented the creation of “The Ultimate, Ultimate Challenge” from “high-concept pitch through train-wreck production,” confirmed that it has secured distribution rights for an anticipated February release, but would not go into specifics. An official statement is forthcoming within the next two weeks, a company spokesperson said.
“American Cannibal: The Road to Reality” features exclusive on-set access and interviews with TV industry insiders, critics and reality-TV veterans. The documentary peeks through the looking glass of television to discover the human cost of popular entertainment.
Although Blatt is an “integral part of the film,” he is not the sole focus of the documentary, producer Denis Jensen said. Blatt is just one of many reality television people interviewed for the project.
Blatt, no stranger to controversy, caused a stir when he threatened legal action against “American Cannibal” filmmakers Perry Grebin and Michael Nigro, alleging that the film unfairly portrays him in a negative light, and attempted to stop the film from being screened at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Blatt’s lawyer sent a cease-and-desist letter to the film’s producers, but the documentary was screened as planned.
Blatt did not immediately return a phone call from XBIZ seeking comment.
