Douglas Durst demands early look at HBO film about brother

The Durst Organization’s Douglas Durst is afraid that he’ll be portrayed in a negative light in an upcoming documentary about his estranged brother and convicted felon, Robert Durst. So much so, he’s demanding that HBO provide him an advance preview of the show.

The six-part series is scheduled to premiere on HBO on February 5. The documentary — titled “Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst” — will examine Durst’s past, which includes his acquittal on charges that he dismembered an elderly neighbor in Galveston, Texas. The film will also recount the disappearance of Durst’s first wife.

A lawyer for Douglas, the chairman of the Durst Organization since 1994, sent a letter to Andrew Jarecki, the producer of the documentary, requesting to see the film before it airs, according to the New York Daily News. The documentary is based on more than 25 hours of interviews with Robert Durst.

“Given your track record of producing credibility-challenged projects, we respectfully request a screening of the full series of your upcoming HBO documentary ‘The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst’ for review prior to its airing so that we are assured our client is properly represented,” Douglas’ attorney Richard D. Emery wrote in the letter, cited by the newspaper. [vision_pullquote style=”1″ align=””] “Given your track record of producing credibility-challenged projects, we respectfully request a screening of the full series.” [/vision_pullquote]

An HBO spokesperson told the newspaper that “we’re confident this film will be fair and accurate, and it is not HBO’s practice to make copies of our films available to those who request them in advance of their premieres.” [NYDN] — Claire Moses