Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
Paul newman and joanne woodward
Photo credit: Getty Images

Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward documentary on the way from Martin Scorsese & Ethan Hawke

There's a new documentary on the way about Hollywood power couple Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. It will debut on CNN Plus.

A new documentary about Golden Age Hollywood stars Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman is on the way from Hollywood royalty Martin Scorsese and Ethan Hawke.

Recommended Videos

It’s called The Last Movie Stars and will air on CNN Plus first and then HBO Max at a later date, according to Deadline. CNN Plus will retain streaming and broadcast rights.

“Exploring Woodward and Newman through their 50-year love affair has proven more rewarding than I could have imagined,” Hawke said. “Their work, philanthropy, and lives serve as a kind of North Star, illuminating what a substantive, meaningful life can look like.”

CNN Worldwide Executive Vice President for Talent and Content Development Amy Entelis said it took someone like Hawke to bring this story to life.

“Ethan’s brilliant vision illuminates what fascinates us about Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman in a film worthy of their talents and passions. We look forward to sharing this unique, multi-chapter story with CNN+ subscribers.”

Indie rock singer Hamilton Leithauser will write the score for the film.

Ethan Hawke

Woodward and Newman were a power couple who represented the glitz and glamour of Hollywood for film fans of the era. They used their star power to parse out blockbuster movies with smaller, more artsy projects that were closer to their heart. They lived and raised their family in Connecticut, away from the hype machine of Hollywood.

The two stars worked together on movies like Mr. and Mrs. Bridge and Rachel, Rachel, and the documentary is parsed out in six parts.

The project happened because Hawke was approached by one of the couple’s daughters at the beginning of the pandemic, according to Variety. The doc uses a combination of old interviews and clips from the stars. Some of the interviews were from an old project Newman asked his friend, screenwriter Stewart Stern, to acquire.

Stern interviewed a number of the couple’s contemporaries, like Sidney Lumet, Karl Malden, Sidney Pollack, Gore Vidal, Jacqueline Witte, Joanne Woodward and others. It touches on some fairly personal topics, including the death of Newman’s son Scott from a drug overdose at 28.

More contemporary actors will appear as well to voice out transcribed interviews, including George Clooney, Oscar Isaac, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Zoe Kazan, Laura Linney and Sam Rockwell. Sally Field, Melanie Griffith and Scorsese will appear on camera and talk about the stars.

The doc is a pretty big get for the fledgling CNN Plus, which is slated to debut in early 2022.


We Got This Covered is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Jon Silman
Jon Silman
Jon Silman was hard-nosed newspaper reporter and now he is a soft-nosed freelance writer for WGTC.