Kurt Cobain Documentary 'Montage Of Heck': Why Frances Bean Cobain And Brett Morgen Squeezed Courtney Love Out

It was Courtney Love who first approached director Brett Morgen about making a documentary about her late husband, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, in 2007. Love had been a fan of Morgen's documentary about super-producer Robert Evans, "The Kid Stays in the Picture," and had an archive of unseen ephemera and film footage of Cobain, who killed himself in 1994. Despite that, Morgen gave Frances Bean Cobain, Love and Cobain's daughter, the title of executive producer of "Montage of Heck," which comes out next year, according to Hollywood Reporter.

"At a certain point," Morgen told HR, "I started working more closely with [Frances Bean]. We agreed that because Courtney was a subject in the film, it would be best if she wasn't given editorial control."

Frances Bean Cobain had inherited a lot of Cobain's material herself, and during the making of the HBO-produced documentary, she and her mother had a public falling out that resulted in her securing a restraining order against Love in 2009. Their battles were often fought on Twitter, and included an incident in which Love accused Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl of hitting on Frances Bean, whom he'd known since she was a baby. It was a charge Frances Bean said was false, telling Rolling Stone, "Twitter should ban my mother." 2012 represented a detente of sorts between mother and daughter -- played out again on Twitter. Love tweeted a Christmas greeting to Frances Bean Cobain, who replied.

Although Morgen cleared rights with both Cobain's mother, Wendy Cobain, and Geffen Records/Universal Music Goup as well, it is only Frances Bean Cobain who got the title of executive producer.

Morgen is unsure if Love, who has not seen the movie, according to HR, will attend the documentary's premiere at Sundance in January. But he does continue to acknowledge her. He told Hollywood Reporter, "She gave me the keys to this kingdom and final cut of the film."