New Michael Moore flick focuses on economy

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., May 21 (UPI) -- Overture Films and Paramount Vantage said Thursday Oscar-winner Michael Moore's new documentary feature will be released in the United States Oct. 2.

The companies said in a release the as-yet-untitled film will "explore the root causes of the global economic meltdown and take a comical look at the corporate and political shenanigans that culminated in what Moore has described as 'the biggest robbery in the history of this country' -- the massive transfer of U.S. taxpayer money to private financial institutions."

"The wealthy, at some point, decided they didn't have enough wealth," Moore said in a statement. "They wanted more -- a lot more. So, they systematically set about to fleece the American people out of their hard-earned money. Now, why would they do this? That is what I seek to discover in this movie."

"Everyone can relate to this subject matter and all have been affected," added Chris McGurk and Danny Rosett, Overture's chief executive officer and chief operating officer. "We think there should be plenty of people interested in hearing Michael's take on how exactly we got here and what we can do to move forward."

The film is Moore's first since his 2007 documentary "Sicko."

His latest project was first announced by Overture and Paramount Vantage International in May 2008 at the Cannes Film Festival. Production began shortly afterward, the companies said.