The Safdie brothers are looking back at the life of Hollywood figure Paul Reubens, who sounds relatively unfamiliar to any child who was raised in the '80s or early '90s. However, mention the name Pee-wee Herman to any millennial and a light-bulb will go off.
While people are largely familiar with the work of Pee-wee, who is a fictional character, there aren't many who know about the man who played him.
That's where Josh and Benny Safdie come in. According to the logline, the brothers are developing "a kaleidoscopic portrait told in two parts, the Paul Reubens documentary traces the life of the imaginative artist behind one of pop culture's most celebrated and unlikely icons: Pee-wee Herman."
There's no one more excited for this project than Paul himself, who said in the announcement, "I've been working with HBO since they were called Home Box Office! I'm honored and excited to continue my long history there."
Though the Pee-wee's Big Adventure actor has much admiration for the company, he added, "I love HBO, but I'm not going to marry them."
Over the years, Reubens has shed his Pee-wee persona and taken on more serious roles.
In 2001, he starred alongside Penelope Cruz and Johnny Depp in Blow, before moving on to smaller appearances in Reno: 911 and 30 Rock.
Regarding his personal life, the comedian has had some encounters with law enforcement. He's been arrested twice, once for indecent exposure in 1991 and the second in 2002 for possession of child pornography, which was later lessened to misdemeanor obscenity as part of a plea deal.
In 2004, Reubens told NBC News that he fears his reputation has been marred by his prior arrests. At the time, the now-68-year-old actor explained, "You can say lots of things about me. And you might. The public may think I'm weird. They may think I'm crazy or anything that anyone wants to think about me. That's all fine. As long as one of the things you're not thinking about me is that I'm a pedophile. Because that's not true."
Though Reubens retreated from the spotlight, he's back to work as Pee-wee Herman.
All the same, director Matt Wolf said of the upcoming documentary, "It's time for the world to meet Paul Reubens."