Late Playboy Model Anna Nicole Smith To Be Featured In New Netflix Documentary

Netflix has announced that it will release a documentary on the late Playboy model and reality TV star Anna Nicole Smith with never-before-seen footage from her colorful life.

In a press release shared with Variety, the streaming service said the documentary is still under production and is being helmed by Ursula Macfarlane who is known for her work on CNN Films documentary, “The Lost Sons,” which tells the story of a man who was kidnapped from his mother’s delivery room, and “Untouchable,” a story that tackles the downfall of disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

“I approached Anna Nicole’s story as an epic mystery tale. How did someone with so much charisma and jaw-dropping beauty, with the world at her feet, fall so far, so quickly? Now feels like the right time to re-examine the life of yet another beautiful young woman whose life has been picked over and ultimately destroyed by our culture,” Macfarlane said in a statement, adding that she is "thrilled" to make a "moving, unflinching and sensitive portrayal of one of the most misunderstood women of our time.”

The executive producers of the upcoming documentary are Caryn Capotosto and Propagate executives Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens and Jonathan Schaerf. Alexandra Lacey will produce the film.

Born Vickie Lynn Hogan, Smith was a topless dancer before she became a model for Playboy magazine in 1992 and later on, as a model for Guess Jeans. In 1994, she was named Playboy’s Playmate of the Year and in the same year, she married 89-year-old oil tycoon, J. Howard Marshall II, head of Koch Industries.

Marshall's death in 1995 began an 11-year court battle all the way to the Supreme Court as Smith waged a legal battle for his fortune which was challenged by Marshall’s son, E. Piece Marshall. Smith’s life was always featured in tabloids, including her battle on drugs, paternity lawsuits, and the death of her son which occurred just days after she gave birth to her now 14-year-old daughter, DannieLynn Birkhead.

Smith's partying lifestyle was also often the subject of tabloid gossip in the early 2000s. Here's a tweet showing Smith having a good time with pals Courtney Love and Avril Lavigne in 2004.

Netflix said the documentary “offers a unique glimpse into her life out of the spotlight, and her dreams as a young mother. Bringing surprising revelations to the story of an icon, the film will include testimony from those who knew Anna Nicole best when the cameras weren’t rolling - many of whom have never shared their full story until now.”

Smith collapsed at a hotel in Florida and died in 2007 at the age of 39.