HBO Sports will tackle the O.J. Simpson story as the fulcrum for a
documentary exploring race relations in America, president Ross Greenburg and
executive producer Rick Bernstein announced today.
Production has begun on the 'Sports of the 20th Century' special, O.J.: A
Study in Black and White, which is slated to debut on Home Box Office Nov.
6.
The special aims to travel to the heart of race relations between blacks and
whites in America through the experiences of Simpson, the football player,
broadcaster and actor, and his trial for the murders of his former wife, Nicole
Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, in 1994. Tensions raged during the
landmark trial in Los Angeles, as Simpson was found not guilty of the two
murders.
'This ambitious documentary is not a rehash of what happened during the trial
or of the jury's verdict,' Greenburg said in a prepared statement. 'Our mission
is to trace O.J. Simpson's life intelligently and to shed light on why the
events of 1994 polarized this country along racial lines.'
In addition to rare footage and archival photos, the documentary will feature
interviews with Simpson himself; National Football League legends Jim Brown and
Eric Dickerson; broadcaster Jim Lampley; activist Harry Edwards; former Buffalo
Bills teammates Reggie McKenzie and Joe Delamielleure; and former University of
Southern California football coach John McKay, who recently passed away.
Actor Liev Schreiber narrates.
