A&E IndieFilms Sets Alex Gibney’s Roger Ailes Doc

The upcoming Roger Ailes doc from Alex Gibney and his Jigsaw Productions will be presented by A&E IndieFilms and Impact Partners, which will take the film out on the festival circuit.

Alexis Bloom — one of the filmmakers behind Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds — directs Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes, which is billed as an “origin story,” chronicling American cultural and political life from the 1950s as told through the triumph and downfall of the Fox News founder.

The movie will include the accounts of the women at Fox News who came forward with allegations of Ailes’ workplace sexual harassment, testimonies that ultimately led to his removal form the network.

Ailes, who died in 2017, is the subject of multiple Hollywood projects. Annapurna is developing a feature about the women of Fox News, including Gretchen Carlson and Megyn Kelly, who helped to bring down the network’s toxic culture, with Margot Robbie, Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron set to star. And Russell Crowe will play the disgraced media mogul in a miniseries for Showtime.

The film is being produced by Jigsaw Productions in association with Baird Films. Bloom and Will Cohen will produce Divide and Conquer, with Molly Thompson, senior vp Feature Films at A+E Networks, exec producing with Elaine Frontain Bryant and Robert Sharenow. Stacey Offman, Dan Cogan, Jenny Raskin, Regina K. Scully, Geralyn White Dreyfous and Maiken Baird will also exec produce, along with Gibney.

Following a film festival and theatrical run, A&E, which has been involved in developing and financing the project, will air the doc. Cinetic Media is handling sales for the film.

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