Brittany Murphy’s once-promising life and tragic death are getting a second look in a two-part docuseries.
HBO Max announced the untitled project Thursday, in conjunction with Blumhouse Television with new interviews, archival footage and “an in-depth, intimate character portrait exploring the life and career and mysterious circumstances surrounding” her death.
Murphy, who starred in movies including “Uptown Girls,” “8 Mile” and “Clueless,” was 32 when she died suddenly on Dec. 20, 2009, after collapsing in her Hollywood Hills home in Los Angeles.
“Our Brittany Murphy documentary cuts through the tabloid noise with an elevated, nuanced depiction of a sensational story,” Jennifer O’Connell, executive vice president of nonfiction and live-action family programming at HBO Max, said in a statement.
“Crafting a grounded account of Brittany Murphy’s life struggles and sudden passing comes with great responsibility and we’ve partnered with a masterful creative team to produce a thoughtful examination of a tragedy that has long been cause for speculation.”
A Los Angeles County coroner ruled Murphy’s death accidental, caused by a combination of pneumonia, an iron deficiency and “multiple drug intoxication.”
Five months later, her husband, Simon Monjack, died from severe anemia and acute pneumonia.
“I agreed to do this film because I think it’s a shame that Brittany’s promising life and career has been eclipsed by the circumstances of her death,” director Cynthia Hill said in a statement. “I think it’s important to celebrate Brittany’s talent as we struggle to explain the tragic circumstances of her and Simon’s deaths.”
