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Center: Director Alex Gibney.

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

Director: Alex Gibney, 54, Summit, New Jersey

April 2008
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Synopsis: A nonfiction biopic of the renegade Rolling Stone journalist, who killed himself in February 2005.

The backstory: After Thompson’s death, Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, a producer on the film, called Gibney and proposed the idea. Production began at Thompson’s funeral in August 2005.

Budget: $1.5 million.

Financed by: Magnolia Pictures, which will also distribute the film in May.

Sundance moment: “I ruptured a disk in my back before the festival,” Gibney says, “so it was amusing promoting a movie about Hunter S. Thompson while hopped up on painkillers and alcohol.”

Director’s next project: A documentary about the scandals surrounding former Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff.


Return to True Stories or read about other directors:
Christopher Bell (Bigger, Stronger, Faster*)
James Marsh (Man on Wire)
Nanette Burstein (American Teen )
Tia Lessin and Carl Deal (Trouble the Water)
Marina ZenovichRoman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

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