It was the launch of another project from Spurlock that would attract audiences beyond die-hard documentary lovers. A big reason was the title recognition he had. 14 years after making "Super Size Me," the movie that launched his career and redefined the fast-food industry, Spurlock had unveiled the rare documentary sequel.This time taking on the poultry industry, or as he called it "Big Chicken" (Tyson, Perdue, Pilgrim's, Koch Foods), "Super Size Me 2" follows Spurlock as he shows audiences the dirty side of the multibillion-dollar industry by starting his own chicken sandwich franchise, called Holy Chicken!, and revealing all the tricks used to make us think that the chicken we get — from the super market to a fast food chain — is "natural."
From showing what really defines a "free range" chicken, to how some chains actually paint marks on cooked chicken breasts to make them look "grilled," to showing how chicken farmers are being short-changed by Big Chicken, the movie is as eye-opening about the food we eat as the first "Super Size Me."
Always the showman, Spurlock came to TIFF with two of the farmers highlighted in the movie, one of whom was Jonathan Buttram. Buttram provided Spurlock with the chickens for his Holy Chicken! chicken sandwich "chain." He also brought a Holy Chicken! food truck for TIFF audiences, filled with chicken sandwiches for everyone (Spurlock promised that the truck would also tour the country with the movie, once it was in theaters). It all paid off. Before the festival ended, Spurlock scored a deal with YouTube Red, reported to be around $3.5 million, that included not just a streaming deal but also a theatrical release.
But the dream of releasing a documentary that was as impactful as the 2004 original faded away when three months after that successful "Super Size Me 2" world premiere, and at the height of the #MeToo Movement, Spurlock sent out a tweet that read "I am Part of the Problem," along with a link to a letter via TwitLonger, in which he confessed to numerous acts of sexual misconduct in his past. According to his letter, a woman once accused him of rape in college, he detailed a workplace sexual harassment claim he settled, and admitted he'd been unfaithful to past wives and girlfriends.
"If I'm going (to) truly represent myself as someone who has built a career on finding the truth, then it's time for me to be truthful as well," Spurlock wrote.
Days later, YouTube announced it would not release "Super Size Me 2" and Spurlock stepped down as head of his production company, Warrior Poets.
Since Spurlock left the public eye, Warrior Poets has come under fire as seven former employees told Jezebel that the company had a "fratty, boys' club" culture. It's unclear if the numerous upcoming projects Spurlock and Warrior Poets was involved in — ranging from a docuseries with LeBron James to a biopic on legendary Hollywood agent Sue Mengers— will come to fruition.
And what about "Super Size Me 2?" The documentary is in many ways collateral damage following Spurlock's confession, collecting dust on a shelf somewhere and no longer a tool for the people who needed it to be seen by audiences the most: the dozens of farmers who have brought lawsuits against Big Chicken.
Farmers are playing a rigged game
The chicken sandwich has become the most popular item on the menu anywhere you go today. It's almost guaranteed you'll find a grilled or crispy (you never see the word "fried") chicken sandwich on any menu (sometimes both) — especially in the food chain industry. In "Super Size Me 2," Spurlock shows its popularity with incredible clarity as he navigates not just the growing process of the chickens, but also the marketing muscle behind making the chicken sandwich so popular.
This popularity has led to huge profits for the poultry industry, but the farmers who are growing the chickens aren't getting much of the rewards. As "Super Size Me 2" highlights, in one instance Tyson used a tournament system in which the company gave farmers a certain amount of chickens per year, and then paid by the performance of those chickens (i.e., size of the bird, and the amount produced).
"Because Tyson controls all of the factors that go into influencing how much chicken gets produced and the health of the chickens and the ability of the chickens, Tyson manipulates it and influences how much the growers get paid in a way that is anti-competitive and against the law," claims David Muraskin, a lawyer for the public interest law firm Public Justice, which is one of the firms representing farmer Charles Morris. Morris is in "Super Size Me 2," and is also part of a lawsuit in Kentucky against Tyson.
Tyson previously gave a statement disputing the claims in the lawsuit, and said it intended to "vigorously defend our company in court." (Tyson did not respond to a request for further comment from Business Insider.)
Morris, along with Jonathan Buttram, are both big parts in "Super Size Me 2." Buttram, who declined to comment for this story, was the only farmer Spurlock could find who agreed to grow chickens for Holy Chicken! In the movie, Morris paints a grim picture of the farmers who are millions of dollars in debt due to the tournament system. Both men were with Spurlock at TIFF, were introduced on stage at the world premiere, and did press with Spurlock the days that followed.
"I set out ten years ago with a cause to help the consumer because all of them have been deceived," Buttram told Business Insider the day after the TIFF premiere, sitting beside Spurlock and Morris. "The chickens are being mistreated and the growers are definitely being mistreated."
"We need Morgan, we really do," Morris added. "What he's done is instrumental in helping us."
But then came Spurlock's shocking announcement, which caught almost everyone involved in the movie off guard — Morris and his attorneys, especially.
― Elvis Telecom, Sunday, 9 September 2018 22:34 (seven years ago)