TV Talk: HBO to debut 'A Tree of Life' documentary executive produced by Michael Keaton, Billy Porter, Mark Cuban

“A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting,” executive produced by Pittsburgh natives Michael Keaton, Billy Porter and Mark Cuban, will premiere on HBO and HBO Max at 9 p.m. Oct. 26.

Directed by Trish Adlesic (“Gasland,” “I Am Evidence”), the 80-minute film re-tells the story of the 2018 shooting at Squirrel Hill’s Tree of Life synagogue that killed 11 people.

HBO says the film offers a portrait of the survivors, victims and their family members who share their accounts of the shooting’s impact on them and their community.

Those featured in “A Tree of Life” include Carol Black, Dr. Joseph Charny, Anthony Fienberg, Audrey Glickman, Daniel Leger, Hannibal Lokumbe, Wasi Mohamed, Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, Brad Orsini, Rabbi Jonathan Perlman, Michele Rosenthal, Diane Rosenthal, Augie Siriano, Ellen Surloff, Andrea Wedner, Stephen Weiss and Barry Werber.

The film also features the original song “A Tree of Life” by Idina Menzel and Kate Diaz.

“A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting” had its world premiere at the DOC NYC film festival in 2021.

In 2019, the Tribune-Review produced its own 40-minute documentary on the Tree of Life shooting.

Epix, Newsy get rebrands

MGM-owned Epix, which operates both a premium cable network and a streaming service, will rebrand both as MGM+ in January, timed to the debut of season three of “Godfather of Harlem” (Jan. 15, 2023).

MGM+ also ordered “Belgravia: The Next Chapter” from writer Julian Fellowes (“Downton Abbey”), a follow-up to Fellowes’ 2020 series “Belgravia” that picks up 25 years later in 1865.

Then there’s digital subchannel Newsy, owned by Scripps Networks and available in Pittsburgh on over-the-air Channel 16.7. Newsy will rebrand as Scripps News on Jan. 1, 2023.

Premiere dates

Amazon Freevee’s “Leverage: Redemption,” featuring 2018 Carnegie Mellon University grad Aleyse Shannon, returns for its 13-episode second season Nov. 16. … “Gangs of New York” returns for its second season Nov. 17 on AMC+. … Apple TV+ announced premiere dates for returning series “The Mosquito Coast” (Nov. 4), “Mythic Quest” (Nov. 11), “Slow Horses” (Dec. 2) and “Little America” (Dec. 9). … HBO’s “His Dark Materials” returns for its third and final season at 9 p.m. Dec. 5. … Amazon’s Prime Video series “Jack Ryan” finally returns for its third season Dec. 21.