HBO gives Bush Sr birthday present

HBO has ordered a documentary marking the 88th birthday of the 41st president of the US, George Bush, set to premiere this June.

The doc, entitled 41, sees the father of the 43rd president George W Bush share anecdotes from his childhood as well as insights into his political career. This included roles as director of the CIA, vice president of the US during the Reagan administration and a four-year term as president, beginning in 1989.

Written and directed by Jeffrey Roth, 41 was filmed over 17 months from 2009 to 2011. The 105-minute film is executive produced by Jerry Weintraub, described as a “long-time personal friend of the Bushes” by HBO. It will debut on Thursday June 14 at 21.00 (ET/PT).

In related news, a spokeswoman for HBO has confirmed to C21 a story on Deadline that it, along with Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, owners of US prodco Playtone, are in talks to acquire the rights to crime novel series Berlin Noir.

Written by British author Philip Kerr and first released in the 1990s, the Berlin Noir series follows tough-talking detective Bernie Gunther as he investigates missing persons cases in Berlin during the Nazi regime.