Whitney Houston Documentary in the Works

A new documentary project about Whitney Houston has the full approval and cooperation of the late singer's estate, and although the film has not yet gone into production, it's already set to be made by Kevin Macdonald, whose previous documentary work has won him an Oscar.

In an official announcement this week, Macdonald promised that the film wouldn't "shy away from the darker parts of Whitney's life." Houston died in 2012 when she accidentally drowned in her bathtub. The coroner's report on her death also cited cocaine abuse and heart problems as contributing factors in her death.

Macdonald won an Oscar in 2000 for One Day in September, a documentary about the terrorist attack at the 1972 Munich Olympics. He's also directed Marley, a 2012 documentary about Bob Marley, and the first episode of 11.22.63, J.J. Abrams' series about the assassination of JFK.

Although this project has the blessing of the Houston estate, the estate will not authorize or participate in another upcoming documentary about Houston, this one from director Nick Broomfield. Broomfield's other controversial and sensational films include Kurt and Courtney and Biggie and Tupac.

Macdonald's authorized project will look for a distributor at this year's Cannes film festival with the help of Altitude Films, a production company that has also handled a documentary about the late Amy Winehouse.