A little over 13 years ago, Super Size Me showed America what happens when you eat nothing but McDonald’s for 30 days straight while also helping to usher in the modern documentary format that became so popular in its wake. Since then, director Morgan Spurlock has gone on to make other docs (Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold) as well as TV shows (Morgan Spurlock Inside Man, 30 Days).
Spurlock recently returned to the greasy fast food that made him famous with a sequel (Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!). This time, instead of premiering in a theater near you, it might premiere on a YouTube near you.
The Hollywood Reporter says that Spurlock is currently in negotiations with YouTube Red for the exclusive rights to the documentary. The price tag would apparently be around $3.5 million.
The doc will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this weekend. It follows Spurlock as he opens his very own fast-food restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. The pop-up restaurant parodies modern fast-casual chains, boasting its mission statement on a wall while listing the tap water as “artisanal.” Spurlock told Eater last year that his goal with the project and film was “to change the way fast food functions and change the way people look at it as a result.”
At the festival, Spurlock told reporters “what we wanted Super Size Me 2 to represent was to have an industry perspective — how does the industry view consumers? How does it view us almost as commodities? How does it view their role in what they do?” Do views play an important role in such cases?
The move would be a huge step forward for YouTube Red, who like Facebook and Apple, are looking to dip their toes into the world of exclusive programming as they step up streaming services and look to add value to subscription offerings. YouTube Red picked up Nick Cannon’s King of the Dancehall documentary at last year’s TIFF. If this news holds, it looks like they’re going to try to position themselves as a source for entertaining and informative docs, putting itself in the same lane as Netflix, Amazon, and heavy hitters.
The $9.99/month service offers customers ad-free viewing experiences, offline video viewing, and original programming only available via subscription.
[THR]
