"Going Clear," a controversial documentary on Scientology, will be released by HBO under the direction of Oscar-winner Alex Gibney. The feature, which is based on Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright's, book of the same name, is expected to show new revelations about the religion and its celebrity followers, including John Travolta and Tom Cruise.

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The project was commissioned nearly two years ago, and if successfully completed, will be submitted to the Sundance Film Festival in January next year.

Because Gibney and HBO are expecting to receive aggressive responses from the church and its followers, the network is trying to cover all bases, hiring at least 160 lawyers to make sure no legal issues come about with the release of the film.

Despite the church's sensitivities to being observed at such a public forum, and HBO's awareness of its aggressiveness toward those who question it, this is not the first time HBO has had a tussle with the religion.

After HBO aired "Dead Blue: Surviving Depression" in 1998, scientologists gathered in front of the network's Manhattan headquarters to lambast HBO and HBO president Sheila Nevins for featuring antidepressants in a positive light. Scientologists are extremely opposed to the study and practice of psychiatry.

In a previous interview, Nevins shared that she couldn't connect psychiatry with scientology until she saw the protestors outside their building.

"I thought they must be a union protest. But it was our film they were protesting. They're so anti-psychiatry, anti-medicine and anti-Freud. It was really quite interesting," she added.

The question now lies in whether or not the 160 lawyers are able to go against the religion's own legal team.

Wright shared that he has been receiving threats from the attorneys of celebrity scientologists.

Despite threats - current and potential - Nevins shared, "this time, we'll be ready."