Def Leppard’s story already has sufficient plot twists for a rock’n’roll epic. Now, the band is getting the big-screen remedy. Bleecker Avenue’s occasion cinema division Crosswalk has acquired North American rights to Lengthy Dwell Def Leppard, the primary licensed feature-length documentary in regards to the English rock establishment, with an early 2027 theatrical launch deliberate.
Directed by Jeff Feuerzeig, whose The Satan and Daniel Johnston and Writer: The JT LeRoy Story have made a specialty of excavating the stranger, extra human corners of music historical past, the movie was made in shut collaboration with the band and guarantees never-before-seen footage and unprecedented entry to its members.
That entry ought to come in useful for a band whose historical past is unusually wealthy in each triumph and heartbreak. Born in working-class Sheffield, Def Leppard emerged onto the worldwide stage with the ’80s classics Pyromania and Hysteria, solely to face two life-altering blows: drummer Rick Allen misplaced his arm in a 1984 automotive accident, whereas guitarist Steve Clark died in 1991. Relatively than turning into the top of the story, these tragedies turned a part of a outstanding second act that helped make Def Leppard certainly one of rock’s most sturdy bands.
Thus far, the group has offered greater than 110 million albums worldwide and been inducted into the Rock & Roll Corridor of Fame. Its stay operation stays very a lot alive, too, with the band lately finishing a sold-out residency at Las Vegas’ Caesars Palace.
For Feuerzeig, the venture can be one thing of a homecoming. He first noticed Def Leppard in 1981, when the then-unknown band opened for Ozzy Osbourne at Asbury Park, N.J.’s Conference Corridor. “These younger lads from working-class Sheffield had been punching far above their weight and enjoying for retains,” he remembers. “I used to be smitten, a fan for all times.” Greater than 4 many years later, he will get to inform their story.
Feuerzeig describes Lengthy Dwell Def Leppard as a “distinctive, heartwarming and sometimes humorous underdog story,” whereas Bleecker Avenue CEO Kent Sanderson says the band’s story and stay performances “demand to be seen and heard on the massive display.”
Crosswalk’s acquisition comes because the division builds out a slate of music-driven theatrical experiences. Following the success of the Hadestown stay seize, which grossed greater than $20 million domestically, the corporate will subsequent deliver George Michael: The Religion Tour to theaters and IMAX on Dec. 11, that includes lately rediscovered footage from the celebrity’s European Religion tour.
