There Are Already Multiple Documentaries Planned About Luigi Mangione
Pennsylvania Department of Corrections via AP
Luigi Mangione, who is facing multiple felony charges related to the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, will be the subject of two (so far) upcoming films from prominent documentarians, according to Variety.
Thompson was shot and killed early in the morning on Dec. 4 outside of the New York Hilton Midtown, where UHC was holding an investor conference. Police have said they believe this was a premeditated and targeted attack. After Mangione was recognized at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, he was taken into custody by local police, who found in his possession a ghost gun and suppressor and a manifesto that railed against the health insurance industry.
Mangione has been charged with murder, second-degree possession of a forged document, and both second and third-degree criminal possession of a firearm. So far, investigators have announced that fingerprints and shell casings found at the murder scene match the prints taken from Mangione and the gun he had on him when he was arrested.
Variety reported on both upcoming documentaries Monday. The first report in the morning focused on the project by Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions and Anonymous Content that “will delve into the national conversation around Americans’ frustration with the healthcare industry and health insurance companies’ denial of claims and care, as well as rising costs” and “explore how killers are created, what this killing says about our society and the values we place on who lives and who dies.”
Gibney rose to prominence after his 2005 documentary, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, about the collapse of the Houston-based energy company. His documentaries have covered topics including Scientology, Steve Jobs, Frank Sinatra, Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, the opioid epidemic, an upcoming project focusing on Elon Musk, and one based on Salman Rushdie’s memoir about the attempt on his life.
Anonymous Content’s production catalogue includes 2004’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the 2015 drama Spotlight about the child sexual abuse scandal in the Boston Catholic archdiocese, HBO’s True Detective anthology series, and streaming content like 13 Reasons Why.
The second documentary will come from Stephen Robert Morse, a two-time Emmy nominee who produced a documentary for Netflix about Amanda Knox. Reported Variety:
Morse’s doc is set to explore the various perspectives of those embroiled in the murder and its aftermath, including the victims, their families and Mangione himself, as well as the moral complexities thrown up by Thompson’s murder. Alongside the case the documentary will provide historical context around one of America’s most pressing – and polarizing – issues, that of privatized health insurance.
“This case is complex and raises important questions about vigilantism, the devastating cost of a privatized healthcare system and the inevitability of violence when peaceful change is seen as impossible,” said Morse. “My goal is to present a balanced exploration of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s assassination, showing all sides of the story while respecting the profound loss of life and its impact on everyone involved.”
“Every story is multidimensional, and I believe in treating all participants with kindness and fairness. This approach has always been central to my projects,” he added.
