This could have a huge impact.
Earlier this year, American broadcaster Lifetime aired their docuseries Surviving R. Kelly, which dealt with years of accusations of sexual abuse against R&B star R. Kelly (real name Robert Kelly).
The series was Emmy-nominated and had real-world consequences, and Kelly was arrested and formally charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Since then, Kelly has been charged with multiple other crimes, including federal sex trafficking.
The Kelly series featured in-depth testimony from alleged victims of the singer and their families.
Now, Lifetime will turn its attention to billionaire financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein was arrested on July 6 of this year and charged with sex trafficking and conspiracy to traffic minors for sex. Prosecutors allege that he brought as many as 40 girls under 18 to his mansion for the purposes of sex.
Epstein, who was famously friends with the likes of Bill Clinton and Donald Trump among others, is now awaiting trial on these charges, and has been denied bail. He was already convicted of similar offences in 2008, but spent just 13 months in prison – and spent most of that time on work release.
The new project is in development in association with award-winning filmmakers Anne Sundberg and Ricki Stern (Reversing Roe, The Preppy Murder). New York Times journalist Christopher Mason is also attached to the project.
The project is still in its early stages, and there’s no timeframe for when it might be released yet.
The team behind Surviving R. Kelly will also produce a new, four-hour doc called Surviving R. Kelly: The Aftermath, again for Lifetime.
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