Documentaries about the lives and times of great artists are a cottage industry at this point, but last year's Amy, as directed by Asif Kapadia, seemed to give the sub-genre a much-needed shot in the arm. In detailing the short, sad life of the great Amy Winehouse, the film made a point of underlining how the demands of fame on a young woman, especially one prone to abusive masculine influence, can quite literally destroy her, to the point that Kapadia nearly overplays his hand by the end of the film.

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Image via Warner Bros.

After that film's unexpected success and Oscar win, it should come as no surprise that Altitude, the company behind that film's release, are now working on a documentary on the life of Whitney Houston, the iconic pop musician who lost her life to drugs in 2012. As THR reports today, the documentary will be directed by Kevin Macdonald, who is known primarily as the filmmaker behind The Last King of Scotland, the dramatic telling of Idi Amin's tyrannical, grotesque rule that won Forest Whitaker an Oscar for his portrayal of the dictator, alongside co-stars James McAvoy and Kerry Washington. The director, who won the Oscar himself for One Day in September, has apparently been working on the project for a bit, calling it simply The Voice in conversation,


This is not Macdonald's first rodeo in terms of this kind of movie, as he took an extensive look at the life and death of Bob Marley in Marley, which was originally supposed to be a Martin Scorsese project. The director and Altitude have confirmed that the film will look at both the high and low points of the singer and actress' career, and will feature interviews with the likes of chief creator officer of Sony Music Entertainment Clive Davis and Houston's family. There's no tentative release date for the film as of yet but it seems to be a priority for both the director and Altitude, and though its unlikely that the project will be as stylish and thoughtful as Amy, upon the evidence of Marley, it's still sure to be an engrossing bit of pop history at the very least.

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Image via Paramount