HBO Acquires TV Rights to World War II Doc 'The Cold Blue' (Exclusive)

The film is set to screen at the New York Film Festival before debuting on the premium cable channel in June of next year.

HBO Documentary Films has acquired U.S. TV rights to the World War II doc The Cold Blue from Paul G. Allen's Vulcan Productions.

The film, directed by Erik Nelson, explores the daily lives of men in the Eighth Air Force as they undertook missions in the global conflict. The film features newly restored 4K footage and outtakes from William Wyler's 1944 documentary The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress, including raw footage that was recently discovered in the vaults of the National Archives.

The Cold Blue premiered at AFI Docs and will screen at the New York Film Festival on Saturday Sept. 29, and Sunday, Sept. 30. The documentary will debut on HBO in June 2019.

"We're thrilled HBO Documentary Films is giving this breathtaking footage and powerful new documentary a platform," Rocky Collins of Vulcan Productions said in a statement. "After 75 years, the footage has been restored to a condition better than new, so we can bring this real-life story of aerial combat to a 21st-century audience."