Bin Laden film will air on TV two days before polls

Los Angeles, CA, United States (4E) – The National Geographic Channel will air a movie that details the raid, which led to the death of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, just days before Election Day.

The cable network announced on Thursday that it is setting November 4, just two days before the polls, as the scheduled air date for “Seal Team Six: The Raid on Osama Bin Laden.” It will be directed by John Stockwell, who also directed the movie “Turistas.”

The film is distributed by Weinsten Company, a company owned by Harvey Weinstein, a major Obama supporter.

Shown in the feature-length film are the events of the raid in the Pakistani compound where bin Laden was taking refuge. The Obama campaign has been trumpeting the event as one of the best achievements of the adminstration.

Wide criticism over the timing of the film is expected as the made-for-TV movie could impact voters ahead of the polls by painting a positive image of President Barack Obama.

Howard Owens, president of National Geographic Channels, assured that politics had nothing to do in the decision to air the film before the election. He added that the film is not meant to be political, rather the network only wanted to promote their fall schedule.

Nat Geo previously showed a political-oriented feature when it aired in January an interview with former president George Bush and his views on the 9/11 terror attacks.

The film will likely carry the same theme as another bin Laden film “Zero Dark Thirty,” which is scheduled to make its theatrical debut on December 19.