Max to produce doc on Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna’s partner Adriane Galisteu

Adriane Galisteu was all but cut from Netflix’s high-profile Senna

Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) is producing a new documentary for its soon-to-be-rebranded streamer Max about the life of iconic Brazilian TV host Adriane Galisteu, who was in a relationship with Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna during the final 18 months of his life.

While WBD did not explicitly refer to it, the announcement follows controversy surrounding Galisteu’s near-complete omission from Netflix’s high-profile Senna series, reportedly at the request of the driver’s family, according to local media.

Unveiled at Rio2C in Brazil by WBD’s Brazilian team this week, the two-part documentary is directed by João Wainer and produced by Magnífica Produções.

“We’re in the middle of filming, with shoots in both Brazil and Portugal, and the idea is to have Adriane revisit places that were meaningful to her story in an intimate way,” said Adriana Cechetti, senior director of production and development, unscripted for WBD in Brazil.

“I never imagined telling this story, but the audience kept asking for it. It’s a force I didn’t expect, coming from the outside in,” said Galisteu, who was present at the event.

Rather than fuelling tensions between streamers, the project could boost cross-platform viewership for both Netflix and Max, which is set to revert back to its previous name HBO Max this summer.

The documentary expands Max’s non-fiction slate in Brazil, which also includes upcoming true crime titles such as Angela Diniz: o Crime de Praia dos Ossos, produced by Conspiração Filmes and based on a Radio Novelo podcast, and another title about the murder of youth telenovela Chiquititas actor Rafael Miguel.