LOS ANGELES As Republicans wage a sharply divisive presidential nominating contest, HBO is preparing to release a television film on the 2008 ascent of then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin that seems sure to reopen the wounds of that lost campaign and reignite controversy over Palin's fitness for office and the wisdom of putting her on the ticket.

"Game Change," based on the 2010 book of the same name by two journalists, is not due to premiere on the pay-cable channel until March 10, but already on Friday Palin's supporters were hitting back at its depiction of her as woefully unprepared to be a national candidate or be a heartbeat away from the presidency.

Former John McCain campaign aides depicted in the movie, including Steve Schmidt, the campaign's chief strategist, vouched for its accuracy in interviews with the Los Angeles Times this week.

"Game Change" shows Palin, portrayed by Julianne Moore, thrust on to the international stage, only for her handlers to belatedly discover the huge gaps in her knowledge of the world - ignorant of the Federal Reserve System, mistakenly believing Saddam Hussein ordered the 9/11 attacks against the United States and unaware that the prime minister, and not Queen Elizabeth II, ran the British government.

Some of the film's plot points will be familiar to those who read "Game Change," though some revelations will be new. Potentially more upsetting to Palin and her supporters is the way the film depicts the candidate's outbursts and periods of nonresponsiveness that lead aides to describe her as "catatonic" and possibly mentally unstable.

Schmidt and a chief Palin '08 aide, Nicolle Wallace, said they found it highly credible. Wallace said the film "captured the spirit and emotion of the campaign."

Palin, who resigned as Alaska governor in 2009 and has gone on to be an author, reality TV star and Fox News Channel contributor, remains a significant figure in the GOP despite her decision not to seek the presidential nomination this year. She and her followers have begun denouncing the film, based on promotional trailers and accounts they have heard from others. Tim Crawford, treasurer of Palin's political action committee, had not seen the movie but on Friday released a statement saying HBO should label it a "fiction."

"I haven't seen HBO's latest effort at manipulating history," Crawford said. "However, based upon the description and reports from people who have viewed the film 'Game Change,' HBO has distorted, twisted and invented facts to create a false narrative and attract viewers."

HBO noted the depth of research behind the movie and said in a statement: "HBO has a long track record of producing fact-based dramas, and our mantra has always been, 'Get the story right.' "

Palin said on "Fox News Sunday" that she did not intend to see the movie and hoped others would not "waste their time" with the film. She also said "Game Change" was based on a "false narrative."