Mark Wahlberg’s documentary production company brings “the real BlackBerry story” to light.
Wahlberg’s Unrealistic Ideas announces that production is moving forward on a feature-length documentary about the history of the Waterloo, Ontario-based smartphone maker.
The company says the as-yet-untitled BlackBerry documentary will draw on interviews with former executives and employees of the company, once known as Research In Motion, to trace the handheld device’s rise and subsequent fall in the cellphone wars.
Last year, BlackBerry was the focus of a satirical comedy by Canadian director Matt Johnson that won awards and critical acclaim but was scorned by some members of the local tech community, who complained that it was too loose with the facts.
Producers of the untitled documentary say their project will be the “definitive look” at BlackBerry. It will be helmed by filmmaker Eddie Schmidt, who directed the Chelsea Handler series “Chelsea Does” and produced the documentaries “This Film is Not Yet Rated” and “Twist of Faith.”
Wahlberg’s company is behind several high-profile HBO projects, including the documentary series “McMillions,” about con artists who rigged the McDonald’s Monopoly game, and “Movie Pass, Movie Crash,” which recalls the origins of the popular movie theater membership.
The BlackBerry documentary, which does not yet have a release date, is being produced in collaboration with Canadian technology company Viral Nation.
The Mississauga, Ontario-based company worked with RIM’s alumni association to create an online historical archive of BlackBerry’s history and had initially pitched the idea to various documentary filmmakers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 14, 2024.
David Friend, The Canadian Press
