Netflix secured the rights to an upcoming documentary about Martha Stewart last week, according to Variety, beating out other top contenders. The nonfiction film will be helmed by R.
J. Cutler, who is known for projects like The War Room and The September Issue and released two films in the last two years, Belushi and Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, which landed at Apple TV Plus.
Stewart is a media personality whose professional life began as a babysitter and party planner for the children of famous New York Yankees players like Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra.
Success in modeling, publishing, and cooking led to a remarkably successful media empire. Her career was halted by a prison sentence in 2004 stemming from insider trading, but she was released after a short stay and managed to rebound tremendously from that low point, eventually taking back control of her name and brand. Estimates indicate that she may be worth $400 million.
Cutler has gained acclaim and accolades for his previous spotlights of memorable subjects, most recently with singer Billie Eilish and comedian John Belushi.
His first film as producer, The War Room, focused on Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary, and The September Issue showcased Anna Wintour and the world-famous Vogue magazine. He also produced Listen to Me Marlon, about Marlon Brando, and forayed into narrative content with the film If I Stay and the TV series Nashville.
Little is known about the specific content of this film, which Cutler presented to potential buyers as an all-access look at Stewart. Cutler is set to executive produce along with Trevor Smith, Jana Cha Cutler, Alina Chao, and Elise Pearlstein for This Machine, which will produce. A release date has not yet been set.