Rumors swirl: Did documentary maker find bin Laden? Muriel Kane

Published: Friday December 7, 2007



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Print This Email This Morgan Spurlock, producer of the documentary Super Size Me, -- which took on America's addiction to fast food -- has now gone after a far more elusive target: Osama bin Laden. What's more, speculation is growing that he might have found him. MSNBC reports that the rumors began last winter, when Spurlock was wooing potential buyers with 15 minutes of footage from his new documentary, Where in the World is Osama bin Laden? Not only was the film quickly snapped up, but its director of photography has been widely quoted as saying, "We've definitely got the Holy Grail." The New York Times, however, is far more skeptical, describing the film as a "comic documentary" and calling the rumors "unbelievable." A blog at the Guardian further points out that non-disclosure agreements like those Spurlock insisted on for his screening to buyers are common and suggests that the "Holy Grail" quote is less dramatic when taken in context: "'We've definitely got the Holy Grail,' avers Spurlock's New York-based director of photography on the project, Daniel Marracino. 'Visually, this film is just going to be gorgeous.'" Spurlock himself has been close-mouthed, telling the Daily News, "All I will say is that it premieres at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 21." He was more interested in recommending his newly-opened What Would Jesus Buy? -- calling it "possibly the greatest Christmas movie of all time."



