The murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson sent ripples through the country. It’s not like the private health insurance industry is known for being personable and pleasant. Then when it was discovered that the murder was committed by a young valedictorian with a chronic health issue, everything took on another level of interest and discussion. Luigi Mangione has been arrested in connection with the case.
To some, he’s a hero, to others, an alleged murderer. Soon, he’s going to be the subject of at least two documentaries (so far).
Depending on who you talk to, you’ll get either shock and outrage for murder, or support for the alleged murderer. It’s that kind of duality director Alex Gibney hopes to explore in an upcoming documentary surrounding Gibney and Thompson’s death.
Gibney is an accomplished and talented documentarian. He’s previously made films about Elizabeth Holmes, Eliot Spitzer, and the Enron scandal. Much of what he’s done has surrounded controversial figures and Mangione is no exception to that. Naturally, considering the ongoing nature of the homicide investigation, the documentary could go in a number of different directions. Even if it just focuses on the socio-political impact of the murder, it’s a developing story and public perception of Mangione can also shift. We’ll see how it all turns out as Gibney and production companies Jigsaw and Anonymous Content get to work on the upcoming film.
Likewise, rapper 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson) revealed his plans for a docu in a since-deleted Instagram post.
“I don’t know, I kinda like this killer,” 50 Cent wrote. “I’m sorry this is going this way it is but I’m doing a documentary on him, he is special! I apologize in advance for anyone who doesn’t understand.”
Mangione has only been accused of Thompson’s murder.
When arrested, he was found with a manifesto in his possession, and may have had a very strong motive given the chronic health issues he was experiencing. While it may be a bit unusual to make a documentary about someone who hasn’t even been officially indicted for a crime, there’s no denying the conversation.
We’ll let you know how the case progresses, and what we hear about other documentaries.
