July 24, 2024 – A two-part documentary about the comedic icon Mel Brooks is currently in production from HBO Documentary Films and Apatow Productions. Emmy®-winners Judd Apatow (HBO’s Emmy®-winning “The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling”) and Michael Bonfiglio are directing with Joe Beshenkovsky editing. The project reunites the trio after their last creative collaboration on HBO’s Emmy®-winning documentary “George Carlin’s American Dream.” Kevin Salter serves as executive producer.

Logline:

An expansive yet intimate look at one of comedy’s most hilarious and influential minds, whose work has had audiences around the world laughing for more than 70 years.

Judd Apatow, director, quote:

“I went into comedy because of my love for Mel Brooks. This project is the dream of a lifetime.”

About Mel Brooks:

Mel Brooks is an iconic American actor, comedian, filmmaker, songwriter, and playwright. With a career spanning seven decades, Brooks has reached the rare accomplishment of winning an Emmy®, GRAMMY®, Tony Award®, and Academy Award®. In addition, he has received a Kennedy Center Honor, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, AFI Life Achievement Award, and an Academy Honorary Award® in 2024. His film and TV work span decades including “The Twelve Chairs,’ “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Silent Movie,” “History of the World Part 1,” “To Be or Not to Be,” “High Anxiety,” “Spaceballs,” “Mad About You,” “Get Smart,” and much more. He is also the author of the New York Times bestseller “All About Me!: My Remarkable Life in Show Business.”

About Apatow Productions:

Founded by Judd Apatow, Apatow Productions is an award-winning production company that has produced many of the biggest hit comedy films and television series of the last two decades. The company’s critically acclaimed television productions include “Freaks and Geeks,” “Undeclared,” “Girls,” “Love,” “Crashing,” and the Emmy®-award winning HBO Documentary Films “The  Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling” and “George Carlin’s American Dream.” Film credits include “Anchorman,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “Talladega Nights,” “Knocked Up,” “Superbad,” “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” “Step Brothers,” “Pineapple Express,” “Funny People,” “Bridesmaids,” “This Is 40,” “Trainwreck,” “Popstar,” Academy Award®-nominated “The Big Sick,” “The King of Staten Island” and “The Bubble.”  Apatow Productions recent projects include “Bros,” “Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain,” and “Flipside.”