Martin Scorsese has tackled the mob, the Dalai Lama and the real-life Wolf of Wall Street.
But he appears to have met his match in Bill Clinton.
Mr. Scorsese’s partly finished documentary about Mr. Clinton — which once seemed likely to be released as Hillary Rodham Clinton was navigating a presidential run — has stalled over disagreements about control, people briefed on the project said.
Though parts of the film were shot over the last two years as Mr. Clinton made a philanthropic visit to Africa and elsewhere, the project is now indefinitely shelved, partly because Mr. Clinton insisted on more control over the interview questions and final version than Mr. Scorsese was willing to give, those people said.
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As an unauthorized biography, “Rodham” does not depend on support from the Clintons, as did Mr. Scorsese’s film. But resistance could become a problem when the producers eventually seek out actresses who are represented by a small number of Hollywood agencies. Already, two people said, at least one Hollywood actors’ agent sympathetic to the Clintons has communicated concerns about the possible impact of “Rodham.”
Queries to Lionsgate, to Mr. Ponsoldt’s agents at the United Talent Agency and to producers at Temple Hill Entertainment and the Arlook Group, which are producing the movie, drew no response.
Mr. Bing, a generous donor to Mr. Clinton and the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, had been a guiding force behind Mr. Scorsese’s documentary, and had initially persuaded the 42nd president to cooperate in its making. Mr. Bing was a producer of Mr. Scorsese’s 2008 documentary “Shine a Light,” about the Rolling Stones.
Known for its critically acclaimed documentaries, HBO has previously produced films about presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. Mr. Scorsese had earlier worked with HBO on documentaries about George Harrison and Fran Lebowitz, and he was an executive producer of the cable channel’s drama “Boardwalk Empire,” which recently ended its run.
