HBO Takes New Alex Gibney Doc

NEW YORK: HBO has picked up the U.S. TV rights to My Trip to Al Qaeda, a new feature-length documentary from Taxi to the Dark Side director Alex Gibney.

My Trip to Al Qaeda is a collaboration between the Academy Award-winning filmmaker and Pulitzer-Prize winning author and journalist Lawrence Wright. It was developed from Wright’s 2006 bestselling book The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. It is set to air on the premium channel this fall.

Separately, HBO has renewed Real Time with Bill Maher for a ninth season of 35 hour-long episodes, which begins in 2011.

Nancy Geller, senior VP of HBO Entertainment, noted: “Bill Maher is one of the most sought-after opinion makers on TV. I’m delighted that this fearless and provocative observer will return to HBO next year. By presenting an increased number of episodes in 2011, we’ll be able bring this live, topical show to our subscribers almost year-round.”