As we wind down another year of HBO programming, we remember that includes its documentary content. But as we wrap up, we know more is on the way in 2019. This post looks at just some of the titles & subjects that we know are coming ahead.
One of the big names on the documentary front is WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? It takes an intimate look at America’s favorite neighbor: Fred Rogers. The documentary tells the story of a soft-spoken minister, puppeteer, writer and producer whose show was beamed into homes across America daily for more than 30 years. In his beloved television program, Mister 
Rogers’ Neighborhood, Rogers and his cast of puppets and friends spoke directly to young children about some of life’s weightiest issues in a simple, direct fashion. This critically acclaimed film is the top-grossing biographical documentary of all time and already has an HBO premiere date – February 9, 2019.
HBO has also acquired worldwide TV and streaming rights to AT THE HEART OF GOLD: INSIDE THE USA GYMNASTICS SCANDAL, exploring the sexual abuse scandal that shook the sports world in 2017. It shines a light on the shocking stories of gymnast survivors who made courageous efforts to reveal a dangerous system that prioritized winning over everything. The film examines how abusers such as Dr. Larry Nassar, the osteopathic physician for the U.S. women’s Olympic gymnastics team, could go unchecked for so many years.
HBO Documentary Films has acquired U.S. TV rights to THE COLD BLUE from Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Productions. Directed by Erik Nelson (“Dreams with Sharp Teeth,” “A Gray State”), the film takes an inside look at the daily life of men of the Eighth Air Force, who flew mission after deadly mission in World War II. The film features newly restored 4K footage and outtakes, shot by director William Wyler for his 1944 documentary The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress.
HBO Documentary Films has acquired worldwide TV and film rights to UNITED SKATES. Directed and produced by Dyana Winkler and Tina Brown, the film received the Documentary Audience Award at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival and will debut on HBO in 2019. As America’s last standing roller rinks are threatened with closure, the documentary spotlights a community of thousands who fight in a racially charged environment to save the underground African-
American subculture of roller skating, which has been overlooked by the mainstream for generations, while giving rise to great musical talents.
A documentary on infamous attorney Roy Cohn will debut on HBO in 2019, drawing on extensive, newly unearthed archival material to present the most revealing examination of him to date. The untitled film features recently discovered audiotapes of candid discussions between Cohn and journalist Peter Manso, recorded at the height of Cohn’s career as a power broker in the rough and tumble world of New York City business and politics. This vivid portrait focuses on family, friends, colleagues, employees and lovers, as well as those targeted by him — all of whom were profoundly affected by crossing paths with Cohn.
HBO has also acquired worldwide TV and streaming rights to Participant Media and Emerson Collective’s documentary feature film FOSTER. It is about the foster care system in the U. S. The film races a complex path through the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services, interweaving first-hand 
stories of those navigating the foster care system with insights from social workers, advocates and others working in the justice system. The film offers a realistic but hopeful perspective on a community that needs society’s support.
Newly commissioned films will take longer to get to the screen, but we are aware they are ahead.
HBO Documentary Films is now in production on a documentary series based on the bestselling true crime book “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer,” by Michelle McNamara. I’LL BE GONE IN THE DARK is a comprehensive exploration of the case of an elusive, violent predator by McNamara, who died suddenly while investigating the unsolved crimes. It is also a haunting personal memoir and self-examination of McNamara’s obsessive quest for justice on behalf of the victims and survivors of the crimes.
Production has begun on the HBO Documentary Films presentation NATALIE WOOD: WHAT REMAINS BEHIND, a documentary about the legendary actress. The feature-length film will explore Wood’s life and career through the unique perspective of her daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner, and others who knew her best. The film will re-examine her personal and professional triumphs and challenges, which have often been overshadowed by her tragic death at age 43. The documentary will debut on HBO in 2020.
Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney will team up with HBO again this time to investigate the bizarre tale of Theranos, the once multibillion-dollar healthcare company that made young founder Elizabeth Holmes a billionaire one second and an accused fraud the next.
We will announce 2019’s lineup as it becomes available, plus we will highlight the HBO Documentary Films of 2018 before the year’s end.
