Moore aims for follow-up on 'Fahrenheit 9/11'

by The Associated Press

Friday May 16, 2008, 7:07 AM

AP file photoMichigan native filmmaker Michael Moore plans to follow up hit documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" in 2009.

CANNES, France — Michael Moore is taking America's temperature again.

Moore, who won the top honor at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival with "Fahrenheit 9/11," plans a follow-up to resume his examination of the nation's status in the world in the years since the Sept. 11 attacks.

"Fahrenheit 9/11," the only documentary to top $100 million domestically at the box office, was a harsh, hilarious critique of George W. Bush and his administration in the wake of the attacks. The as-yet-untitled follow-up will have a longer-term approach, film executives overseeing the project said Wednesday.

"That movie was about a moment in time, a specific moment," said Nick Meyer, president of Paramount Vantage, which is co-financing the movie with Overture Films. "We don't view this movie as bashing anyone. I think it's going to take a look at where America is right now in relation to the world. It's not going to be about the issue of the war. It's about where we are and what our role is."

Danny Rosett, chief operating officer at Overture, said the movie will be scheduled for release domestically in spring 2009, soon after the changing of the guard when Bush leaves office.

Overture will release the film in North America, while Paramount Vantage is handling overseas distribution. Paramount Vantage is shopping the film around to international buyers at Cannes, which began its 12-day run Wednesday.