Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward Documentary on the go

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A new documentary about the Golden Age of Hollywood stars Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman is being made by Hollywood royalty Martin Scorsese and Ethan Hawke.

It is called The Last Movie Stars and will air on First CNN Plus and then HBO Max at a later date, according to Limit line. CNN Plus will retain the streaming and broadcasting rights.

“Discovering Woodward and Newman through their 50-year relationship proved to be more exciting than I could have imagined,” Hawke said. “Their work, philanthropy and life act as a kind of North Star, illuminating what an intrinsic, meaningful life can be.”

CNN’s Executive Vice President of Global Content and Talent Development Amy Entelis said it took someone like Hawke to bring this story to life.

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

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

Woodward and Newman were a power couple that represented the glitz and glamor of Hollywood to movie fans of the era. They used their star power to split blockbusters into smaller, more artistic projects that were closer to their hearts. They lived and grew up with their families in Connecticut, away from the Hollywood hype machine.

The two stars have acted together in movies like Grandparents Bridge and Rachel, Rachel, and the documentary is analyzed into six parts.

The project happened because Hawke was approached by one of the couple’s daughters at the start of the pandemic, according to Diversity. The documentary uses a mix of old interviews and clips from the stars. Some of the interviews are from an old project that Newman asked his friend, screenwriter Stewart Stern, to absorb.

Stern interviewed several of the couple’s contemporaries, such as Sidney Lumet, Karl Malden, Sidney Pollack, Gore Vidal, Jacqueline Witte, Joanne Woodward and others. It deals with some fairly personal topics, including the death of his son Newman Scott from a drug overdose at the age of 28.

Many contemporary actors will also appear to voice the 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 huge hit for the fledgling CNN Plus, which is slated to launch in early 2022.