Led Zeppelin‘s long awaited documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin is finally set for a cinema release.
The authorised film, which was first announced in 2019, has been acquired for release by Sony Classics Pictures in a number of countries including North America, Latin America, Southeast Asia (except for Japan) and the Middle East. No announcement has been made for the UK or Europe yet.
An official release date for the documentary is yet to be announced. A rough version of the film was premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2021 but hasn’t been seen since.
According to Variety, the film has been augmented with additional footage since the “work in progress” version screened in Venice with the “now completed” cut featuring “a brand-new sound mix (and) newly unearthed material from the archives of all four band members.”
“We have spent years designing this film to be experienced on the big screen with the best possible sound,” director Bernard MacMahon said in a statement to the publication.
Producer/co-writer Allison McGourty added: “Sony Pictures Classics are the perfect partners because they are true believers in the theatrical experience and are passionate about giving the millions of Led Zeppelin fans a chance to see and hear them on the greatest screens and sound systems in the world.”
The documentary features new interviews with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Robert Plant, as well as rare archival interviews with the late John Bonham, who died in 1980.
Becoming Led Zeppelin is the first time that Led Zeppelin have participated in a documentary in 50 years, with the band granting MacMahon “unprecedented access” for the film.
Meanwhile, Plant recently pledged his support for the children of Humble Pie and Small Faces late frontman Steve Marriott, who are currently in a battle with his estate over AI-generated music.