MGM and Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group have partnered on a feature documentary that promises to go behind the curtain of the iconic circus, with Dawn Porter (The Way I See It, John Lewis: Good Trouble) attached to direct and executive produce.
Porter’s Trilogy Films, a production company specializing in creating feature-length documentaries and non-fiction series, and her new partners at Industrial Media are providing production services.
Currently in production, filming on the project began in April and will continue through opening night July 1, when Cirque du Soleil’s O show makes its return to the stage at the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
For the first time in its 37-year history, Cirque du Soleil granted exclusive access to MGM and Porter as performers prepared for the upcoming show after the COVID-19 pandemic put the circus on pause.
The personal stories of those artists — from ringmasters to acrobats and divers — are at the “heart” of the film.
Mark Burnett, MGM’s chairman of worldwide television, said in a statement: “Chronicling the re-opening of the aquatic O show brings MGM back to its roots, as it was 75 years ago that the studio produced the first Aqua Musicals with Esther Williams.”
Porter added: “Like so many people, I have always been enthralled with the beauty and mystery of Cirque du Soleil and fascinated with the extraordinarily talented people who make the seemingly impossible come to life. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to document Cirque’s biggest challenge, a return to the stage after one of the world’s greatest crises. The performers, cast, company, and crew are giving their all to make this the biggest premiere of their careers. This is a magnificent story and I’m so grateful to be able to tell it.”
{ SOURCE: Real Screen }
