Al Pacino inhabits music producer Phil Spector in HBO film

PASADENA, California (REUTERS) - Playwright David Mamet had little interest in legendary music producer and convicted murderer Phil Spector, dismissing him as a "freak" - until he watched a documentary that shed light on a complicated personality.

Now, the Glengarry Glen Ross writer is bringing to HBO a movie inspired by Spector's life that imagines his relationship with the attorney who defended him against charges of killing actress Lana Clarkson in Los Angeles in 2003.

The film, Phil Spector, written and directed by Mamet, stars Al Pacino as the music producer and Helen Mirren as his attorney.

When Mamet's agent urged him to watch a documentary about Spector, the playwright said he felt he already knew enough about the eccentric producer who sported wild hair and was found guilty of murder.