HBO readies Roy Cohn doc

US cablenet HBO is preparing to air a documentary about infamous attorney Roy Cohn that will feature newly unearthed archival material.

Roy Cohn in 1964

The as-yet-untitled doc, from US-based Motto Pictures and Red 50 Production, will include recently discovered audiotapes of candid discussions between Cohn and journalist Peter Manso, recorded at the height of Cohn’s career as a power broker in New York City.

The attorney was a key figure during Senator Joe McCarthy’s attempts to track down suspected communists in the US and was deeply involved in the trial of suspected spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were later executed. Cohn, who died in 1986, also represented current US president Donald Trump early in the latter’s business career.

The show will debut in 2019 and is being directed by Ivy Meeropol (Indian Point), granddaughter of the Rosenbergs. It will focus on family, friends, colleagues, employees and lovers, as well as those targeted by Cohn – all of whom were profoundly affected by crossing paths with the attorney.

Meeropol said: “The time has come for audiences to understand a man who, while hiding so much of himself from the world, has had a profound influence on our society, even to this day. We are thrilled to partner with HBO Documentary Films to bring this remarkable story to life.”