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Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds documentary to premiere on HBO Jan. 7

'It's a love story,' says the director.

 

Jessica Machado

Streaming

Posted on Dec 31, 2016   Updated on May 25, 2021, 7:18 am CDT

In the wake of Carrie Fisher’s and Debbie Reynolds’ recent deaths, HBO has moved up its airing of the documentary Bright Lights: Starring Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher to Jan. 7 at 8pm EST. 

The 95-minute film, directed by Fisher Stevens and Alexis Bloom, follows mother and daughter around the time Reynolds won the 2015 Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, which Fisher presented to her. 

“It’s a love story,” HBO Documentary Films president Sheila Nevins told Variety. “Carrie wanted to make Bright Lights for Debbie and Debbie wanted to make it for Carrie.”

Though Reynolds and Fisher’s relationship had rocky patches—including a 10-year estrangement—the two were very close in recent decades, living next door to each other on the same Beverly Hills compound. 

The last words Reynolds reportedly said before she died on Dec. 28, a day after her daughter, was “I want to be with Carrie.”

On Jan. 4, HBO released a new trailer clip, which offers a little more insight into just how close the two were. 

Editor’s note: This article has been updated for relevance. 

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*First Published: Dec 31, 2016, 1:53 pm CST