Becoming Led Zeppelin, the first official documentary on the British rock greats, is finally set for a theatrical release. Directed by Bernard MacMahon, the “hybrid docu-concert film” (per a press release) premiered as a work in progress at Venice Film Festival in 2021. Now completed, it has been acquired by Sony Pictures Classics for North American release on an unspecified date.
Becoming Led Zeppelin tells the story of the band in the members’ own words, with new interviews with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones, plus unreleased interviews with the late John Bonham. It includes newly unearthed material from all four Led Zeppelin members’ archives, such as home movies and family photos. Unseen footage of concerts at the Fillmore West, the Atlanta Pop Festival, and the Texas Pop Festival, all recorded in 1969, has also been dredged for the film.
Page said in a press release, “When I saw the early cut of the film premiered, at the Venice Film Festival, it was amazing. The energy of the story, and the power of the music, is phenomenal.”
MacMahon added, “We have spent years designing this film to be experienced on the big screen with the best possible sound.”