HBO Looks To Take On Dr. Kevorkian Story
October 26, 2007 5:00 p.m. EST
Ashley Dickson – Celebrity News Service News Writer
Lost Angeles, CA (CNS) – After serving 8 years in prison for
second-degree murder, controversial pathologist Jack Kevorkian, 79, is
now out on parole and talking to HBO Films for a project about his
medical practice.
Kevorkian is known for assisting in over 130 suicides and strongly
believes that terminally ill patients should have the right to die if
they so choose. Kevorkian, nicknamed "Dr. Death", received a 10- to
25-year sentence after he willingly sent a video tape of him
euthanizing a terminally ill man to CBS’s "60 Minutes" in 1999.
Executive producer Steve Jones has been enthusiastic about the project
for a few years and is thrilled that Kevorkian has agreed to finally
speak out about his methods.
"He doesn’t grant interviews readily, but now he wants his story to be
told," said Jones. "Whether of not you agree with his views or
actions, one thing is for sure: His passion is something to be in awe
of. He gave up eight years of his life to make a point."
The script will be loosely based on Neal Nicol and Harry Wylie’s book
"Between the Dying and the Dead: Dr. Jack Kevorkian’s Life and the
Battle to Legalize Euthanasia," and will be written by "Breach" writer
Adam Mazer.
"Most of what we know of him has been told through the media and
headlines," said Mazer. "But he’s a very complicated and complex man,
and a lot of things about his personality and background have never
really been shared with the public, including his great intelligence
and terrific sense of humor."