It will be the first time that the band has participated in a documentary since it was formed.
British singer Robert Plant listens to the audience reaction during a Led Zeppelin reunion performance at Madison Square Garden in New-York on May 14, 1988. – Led Zeppelin ended a marathon all-star concert celebrating 40 years of Atlantic Records from its early years pioneering rhythm and blues to present dayrock and pop music. Image: AFP/Don Emmert
Currently in post-production, the yet-untitled film is directed by British filmmaker Bernard MacMahon — renowned for his four-part PBS documentary “American Epic”.
It will tell the story of Led Zeppelin’s early days in the 1960s, as Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones left their previous bands to join John Bonham in 1968.
The documentary will also focus on their rise to fame in the 1970s, when their album “Led Zeppelin II” out-charted the Beatles’ “Abbey Road”.
It will be told solely from the band’s perspective, with new interviews with the three surviving band members. The film will also feature archival interviews with late drummer Bonham, as well as never-seen-before film footage, photographs and state-of-the-art audio transfers of Led Zeppelin’s music.
Although an official release date is yet to be announced, it will coincide with the band’s 50th anniversary.
The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the documentary — whose United States rights are represented by CAA — will be shopped during Cannes Film Festival.
“The time was right for us to tell our own story for the first time in our own words, and I think that this film will really bring that story to life,” said bassist John Paul Jones in an official statement. RGA/JB
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