Showtime Documentary Films have picked up Oscar-winning director Errol Morris‘ new documentary about Timothy Leary, “the high priest of LSD”, to premiere later this year.
The project, which is currently untitled, questions why Leary became an FBI narc in 1974 and introduces Joanna Harcourt-Smith, with whom Leary had a long-term relationship. Leary — famous for telling young people to “turn on, tune in, drop out” and inviting the wrath of President Richard Nixon — is inspired by Harcourt-Smith’s memoir, Tripping The Bardo With Timothy Leary: My Psychedelic Love Story.
In a statement, Morris said: “This is a dream project. I’m always looking for alternative ways into a story. You never want to go through the front door. Or even the back door. Much better to find an attic window that has been left ajar.
Joanna Harcourt-Smith, who had a love affair with Timothy Leary, wrote a book detailing how they met, how they fell in love, how they took drugs together, how he ended up in prison”.
Morris is arguably the greatest documentary filmmaker ever. His work includes The Fog Of War, The Thin Blue Line, Gates Of Heaven and the Netflix “story” Wormwood. Anything he’s involved in should make anyone interested in human stories excited. Showtime will be a good fit for him.
#Peace.Love.ErrolMorris
