Al Pacino to play Dr. Kevorkian

LOS ANGELES, May 26 (UPI) -- Hollywood filmmaker Barry Levinson has agreed to direct Al Pacino in an HBO movie about assisted suicide advocate Dr. Jack Kevorkian.

Kevorkian is a real-life pathologist, nicknamed "Dr. Death," who made headlines and sparked ethics debates for helping ailing people who wanted to commit suicide.

He served a prison sentence in Michigan for second-degree murder from 1999 and 2007 in connection with one person's death.

Variety.com said Levinson will executive produce and direct the TV movie with Pacino playing the controversial Kevorkian, who is now 80.