'The Dark Wizard' examines the soaring life and death of a legendary climber

For years, Dean Potter stood atop the climbing world, attaining a mystique as a rebellious spirit who carved his own path up mountains and into the sky — through BASE jumping and wingsuit flying.But Potter, who struggled with unchecked mental illness, depicted himself as an antihero outsider with a spiritual connection to the ravens of Yosemite, and could also be juvenile, selfish and oblivious.Until his death in 2015, Potter pushed at every boundary he saw, even when it meant courting controversy or costing him friendships and business deals.Well DocumentedWith networks and streamers seeking to create compelling content, many have found the answer in true stories.

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Now Potter is the subject of “The Dark Wizard,” a four-part HBO documentary series premiering Tuesday that not only soars to the greatest heights he achieved but burrows inside his mind thanks to in-depth interviews — including blunt talk from his rival Alex Honnold of “Free Solo” fame — and access to the introspective torment recorded in his personal journals.The result is an often exhilarating, often disturbing and always poignant tale of an artist and adventurer who lived to challenge the limits of what humans could do.Filmmakers Nick Rosen and Peter Mortimer knew and worked with Potter for years.

They spoke recently by video about their efforts to capture the rise and fall of a modern Icarus.This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

California They experienced a rarefied state — a gap between life and death as narrow as the notch they were attempting to clear at dusk Saturday.What was the driving force behind telling this story and why now, more than a decade after his death? Rosen: Dean was this larger-than-life icon in the climbing world, but we did not want to make a hagiography...