Putin Interviewed by Oliver Stone in Documentary for Showtime

(Bloomberg) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin discusses allegations of interfering in the U.S. election of President Donald Trump, and other geopolitical topics, with controversial director Oliver Stone in a documentary to be aired next month on Showtime.

The interviews, recorded at the Kremlin, in Sochi and at Putin's home outside Moscow, will be aired over four nights starting June 12, Showtime said Monday in a statement. In one sequence, Putin and Stone watch the Cold War classic “Dr. Strangelove” together.

Showtime has acquired splashy documentaries to differentiate itself from rivals HBO and Starz, and lure customers to the online service it introduced in 2015. The network, owned by CBS Corp., recently acquired “Risk,” Laura Poitras's documentary about WikiLeaks leader Julian Assange, and last year screened “Weiner,” about disgraced New York politician Anthony Weiner. Showtime has more than 1.5 million online subscribers, CBS Chief Executive Officer Les Moonves said in February.

Some of Showtime's most popular entertainment series, such as “Homeland,” are also set in the world of politics. Showtime accounts for the majority of sales at CBS's cable networks division, which generated $2.16 billion in revenue last year.

Stone has interviewed world figures including Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez and Benjamin Netanyahu. The three-time Oscar winner is also known for his conspiracy theories and unorthodox political views, and was criticized in 2010 for comments about Jewish control of the media, for which he later apologized.

To contact the reporter on this story: Lucas Shaw in Los Angeles at lshaw31@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Crayton Harrison at tharrison5@bloomberg.net.