The chance for the public to see the long-awaited documentary “Becoming Led Zeppelin” is finally becoming a reality for fans of the classic rock band. The film has been acquired for release by Sony Classics Pictures, and will get a big-screen theatrical rollout, the company announced Wednesday.
The rights picked up by Sony Classics are for North America, Latin America, Southeast Asia (except for Japan), the Middle East and Benelux. Negotiations for the deal took place between Sony Classics, director Bernard MacMahon and Altitude Film Sales.
No time frame was given for the film’s release, but Zeppelin fans have waited for years, so a possible matter of months may come as good news at this point. A rough version of the film premiered at and was reviewed out of the Venice Film Festival in September 2021, before it seemed to slip into limbo, as far as the general public knew.
The rights picked up by Sony Classics are for North America, Latin America, Southeast Asia (except for Japan), the Middle East and Benelux. Negotiations for the deal took place between Sony Classics, director Bernard MacMahon and Altitude Film Sales.
No time frame was given for the film’s release, but Zeppelin fans have waited for years, so a possible matter of months may come as good news at this point. A rough version of the film premiered at and was reviewed out of the Venice Film Festival in September 2021, before it seemed to slip into limbo, as far as the general public knew.
- 5/15/2024
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
Sony Pictures Classics has acquired Bernard MacMahon’s hybrid docu-concert film Becoming Led Zeppelin, taking all rights in North America, Latin America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia (excluding Japan), and Benelux.
Powered by never-before-seen footage, performances and music, the film is billed as an experiential cinematic odyssey exploring Led Zeppelin’s creative, musical, and personal origin story. It’s told in Led Zeppelin’s own words and is the first officially sanctioned film on the group.
Screening as a work-in-progress at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, where it received a 10-minute standing ovation, the film now features a brand-new sound mix, newly unearthed material from the archives of all four band members (including home movies and family photos), and exclusive interviews with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones, as well as never-before-heard interviews with the late John Bonham.
Written by MacMahon and Allison McGourty, the film was produced by...
Powered by never-before-seen footage, performances and music, the film is billed as an experiential cinematic odyssey exploring Led Zeppelin’s creative, musical, and personal origin story. It’s told in Led Zeppelin’s own words and is the first officially sanctioned film on the group.
Screening as a work-in-progress at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, where it received a 10-minute standing ovation, the film now features a brand-new sound mix, newly unearthed material from the archives of all four band members (including home movies and family photos), and exclusive interviews with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones, as well as never-before-heard interviews with the late John Bonham.
Written by MacMahon and Allison McGourty, the film was produced by...
- 5/15/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Dolly Parton is soon debuting her first rock album. The album includes many iconic guest stars who will be helping Dolly with covers of classic rock songs, including “Stairway to Heaven”. Dolly Parton did record a cover of “Stairway to Heaven” in the past, but her decision to do another might have to do with her husband’s reaction to her initial version.
Dolly Parton’s husband had harsh words for her cover of ‘Stairway to Heaven’ Dolly Parton | Omar Vega/FilmMagic
In 2002, Dolly Parton released her version of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” on her album Halos & Horns. Her cover was a drastic change from the original, converting into a bluegrass soul song instead of the hardcore rock ballad it is. Her husband, Carl Dean, is a passionate rock n’ roll fan, so his opinion was important to Dolly.
In an interview with Today, Parton said her husband loves Led Zeppelin,...
Dolly Parton’s husband had harsh words for her cover of ‘Stairway to Heaven’ Dolly Parton | Omar Vega/FilmMagic
In 2002, Dolly Parton released her version of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” on her album Halos & Horns. Her cover was a drastic change from the original, converting into a bluegrass soul song instead of the hardcore rock ballad it is. Her husband, Carl Dean, is a passionate rock n’ roll fan, so his opinion was important to Dolly.
In an interview with Today, Parton said her husband loves Led Zeppelin,...
- 5/19/2023
- by Ross Tanenbaum
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Nick Cannon thinks he has quite an interesting superpower.
The father-of-12 claims he has “super sperm” after explaining that his previous bedmates have become pregnant despite using birth control.
The TV presenter, 42, was a guest on the “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” podcast, where he stated: “I’m gonna be honest, I got some super sperm or something, ’cause I’ve practiced birth control, and people still got pregnant.
“I’m trying to be as responsible as I possibly can, learning lessons…”
Read More: Nick Cannon Insists ‘Fatherhood Is My Number One And First Priority’: ‘I Believe That’s What We’re Put On This Planet Here To Do’
When asked if he’s finished adding kids to his massive family, Cannon responded: “I guess… yeah? I don’t wanna say yeah, and then, like, you know, it’s the reproductive system… it could happen at any time… I’m good with my dozen.
The father-of-12 claims he has “super sperm” after explaining that his previous bedmates have become pregnant despite using birth control.
The TV presenter, 42, was a guest on the “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” podcast, where he stated: “I’m gonna be honest, I got some super sperm or something, ’cause I’ve practiced birth control, and people still got pregnant.
“I’m trying to be as responsible as I possibly can, learning lessons…”
Read More: Nick Cannon Insists ‘Fatherhood Is My Number One And First Priority’: ‘I Believe That’s What We’re Put On This Planet Here To Do’
When asked if he’s finished adding kids to his massive family, Cannon responded: “I guess… yeah? I don’t wanna say yeah, and then, like, you know, it’s the reproductive system… it could happen at any time… I’m good with my dozen.
- 4/20/2023
- by Emerson Pearson
- ET Canada
Led Zeppelin’s four members wrote and performed the band’s best songs. Guest musicians occasionally assisted, but Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham did the heavy lifting. Yet the quartet had plenty of help behind the scenes, and they lost a key secret member when Andy Johns died on April 7, 2013.
(l-r) Led Zeppelin members Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, and John Bonham | Rocky Widner/FilmMagic Andy Johns was like a secret Led Zeppelin member helping Jimmy Page on several albums
Page spent years working as a session musician and stuck with it even when he detested it. Why? Because the skills he learned working behind the scenes were invaluable. Page figured out how to mic instruments in the studio, engineer and mix songs, and salvage takes when things went wrong.
In short, he knew what to do in the studio and expected the...
(l-r) Led Zeppelin members Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, and John Bonham | Rocky Widner/FilmMagic Andy Johns was like a secret Led Zeppelin member helping Jimmy Page on several albums
Page spent years working as a session musician and stuck with it even when he detested it. Why? Because the skills he learned working behind the scenes were invaluable. Page figured out how to mic instruments in the studio, engineer and mix songs, and salvage takes when things went wrong.
In short, he knew what to do in the studio and expected the...
- 4/7/2023
- by Jason Rossi
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Tl;Dr:
Kurt Cobain wanted Nirvana’s Nevermind to be like Led Zeppelin’s Led Zeppelin II. He also wanted it to be like the Sex Pistol’s Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols. Nevermind stayed on the Billboard 200 for well over one year. Led Zeppelin | Chris Walter / Contributor
Nirvana’s Nevermind is one of the defining classic rock albums of the 1990s. During an interview, Kurt Cobain explained how Led Zeppelin’s Led Zeppelin II inspired Nevermind. In addition, he discussed some of the other albums that inspired Nevermind.
Kurt Cobain contrasted Nirvana’s musical output with Pearl Jam’s
During a 1994 interview with Rolling Stone, Cobain was critical of Pearl Jam. He was then asked if he empathized with Pearl Jam having to put out a follow-up to their breakthrough album.
“Yeah, I do,” he said. “Except I’m pretty sure that they didn’t...
Kurt Cobain wanted Nirvana’s Nevermind to be like Led Zeppelin’s Led Zeppelin II. He also wanted it to be like the Sex Pistol’s Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols. Nevermind stayed on the Billboard 200 for well over one year. Led Zeppelin | Chris Walter / Contributor
Nirvana’s Nevermind is one of the defining classic rock albums of the 1990s. During an interview, Kurt Cobain explained how Led Zeppelin’s Led Zeppelin II inspired Nevermind. In addition, he discussed some of the other albums that inspired Nevermind.
Kurt Cobain contrasted Nirvana’s musical output with Pearl Jam’s
During a 1994 interview with Rolling Stone, Cobain was critical of Pearl Jam. He was then asked if he empathized with Pearl Jam having to put out a follow-up to their breakthrough album.
“Yeah, I do,” he said. “Except I’m pretty sure that they didn’t...
- 3/12/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Everything in Jimmy Page’s music career was a building block for Led Zeppelin. The guitarist learned studio tricks used by producers during his time as a session musician. He also learned how to work quickly in the studio, which was a skill he brought to Led Zeppelin. Perhaps most importantly, Page formed his recording approach, which he once summed up in just 14 words and committed to tape on Led Zeppelin’s debut.
Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page | Chris Walter/WireImage Jimmy Page summed up his Led Zeppelin recording approach in just 14 words
Page learned crucial skills and made a good living as a session musician, but one arduous day in the studio made him realize he had to quit.
He landed with the Yardbirds, and when that band splintered in 1968, he formed Led Zeppelin within weeks. They toured Scandinavia just a few weeks after that, in the early fall...
Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page | Chris Walter/WireImage Jimmy Page summed up his Led Zeppelin recording approach in just 14 words
Page learned crucial skills and made a good living as a session musician, but one arduous day in the studio made him realize he had to quit.
He landed with the Yardbirds, and when that band splintered in 1968, he formed Led Zeppelin within weeks. They toured Scandinavia just a few weeks after that, in the early fall...
- 1/26/2023
- by Jason Rossi
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
“Becoming Led Zeppelin,” the first fully fledged documentary portrait of rock gods Led Zeppelin, has been added to the Venice Film Festival lineup and will play out of competition.
Bernard MacMahon (“American Epic”) directed the film, which is the first time the band had participated in a documentary in 50 years, telling the story of Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, John Bonham and Robert Plant and how they would bring a whole lotta love to the world.
MacMahon stages it not as a concert doc in the vein of the iconic 1976 film “The Song Remains The Same” but almost as a fantastical musical, which he says was in part inspired by “Singin’ in the Rain.”
“Becoming Led Zeppelin” starts its focus on each member of the band individually and how they went from playing small clubs throughout Britain in the ’60s until they met in the summer of 1968 for a rehearsal...
Bernard MacMahon (“American Epic”) directed the film, which is the first time the band had participated in a documentary in 50 years, telling the story of Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, John Bonham and Robert Plant and how they would bring a whole lotta love to the world.
MacMahon stages it not as a concert doc in the vein of the iconic 1976 film “The Song Remains The Same” but almost as a fantastical musical, which he says was in part inspired by “Singin’ in the Rain.”
“Becoming Led Zeppelin” starts its focus on each member of the band individually and how they went from playing small clubs throughout Britain in the ’60s until they met in the summer of 1968 for a rehearsal...
- 8/3/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
A whole lotta love is headed to the Venice Film Festival, which has just added the highly anticipated Led Zeppelin feature documentary to its lineup.
Bernard MacMahon’s “Becoming Led Zeppelin,” which was recently completed, will screen out of competition at the Italian fest, which runs from Sept. 1-11. The film was co-written and produced by Allison McGourty, and features band members Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Robert Plant as themselves, as well as the late John Bonham (who died in 1980).
The project, which was first announced in 2019, has unprecedented access to the band, marking the first and only time the group has participated in a documentary in 50 years. Though 1976 doc “The Song Remains the Same” centred on the band, that was largely a concert film of a series of Madison Square Garden performances in 1973.
The doc — which is being shopped globally by Altitude Film Sales and Submarine — traces...
Bernard MacMahon’s “Becoming Led Zeppelin,” which was recently completed, will screen out of competition at the Italian fest, which runs from Sept. 1-11. The film was co-written and produced by Allison McGourty, and features band members Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Robert Plant as themselves, as well as the late John Bonham (who died in 1980).
The project, which was first announced in 2019, has unprecedented access to the band, marking the first and only time the group has participated in a documentary in 50 years. Though 1976 doc “The Song Remains the Same” centred on the band, that was largely a concert film of a series of Madison Square Garden performances in 1973.
The doc — which is being shopped globally by Altitude Film Sales and Submarine — traces...
- 8/3/2021
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Filmmaker Bernard MacMahon has announced the title for his new documentary on Led Zeppelin, Becoming Led Zeppelin.
“Becoming Led Zeppelin is a film that no one thought could be made,” MacMahon said in a statement. “The band’s meteoric rise to stardom was swift and virtually undocumented. Through an intense search across the globe and years of restoration of the visual and audio archive found, this story is finally able to be told.”
A release date for Becoming Led Zeppelin has yet to be revealed.
Becoming Led Zeppelin was first...
“Becoming Led Zeppelin is a film that no one thought could be made,” MacMahon said in a statement. “The band’s meteoric rise to stardom was swift and virtually undocumented. Through an intense search across the globe and years of restoration of the visual and audio archive found, this story is finally able to be told.”
A release date for Becoming Led Zeppelin has yet to be revealed.
Becoming Led Zeppelin was first...
- 8/2/2021
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Hammer of the Docs? Led Zeppelin is getting the feature doc treatment from the team behind American Epic.
The as-yet-untitled film, which is currently in post-production, comes after the band’s fiftieth anniversary last year. The doc, directed by Bernard MacMahon, will launch in Cannes with CAA representing the U.S. rights and Altitude handling international sales.
The film will trace the journeys of the four members of the Stairway To Heaven rockers through the music scene of the 1960s and their meeting in the summer of 1968, culminating in 1970 when Led Zeppelin II, with “Whole Lotta Love,” knocked The Beatles off the top of the charts and launched the career of what would become the biggest band in the world.
The doc will feature new interviews with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones, as well as rare archival interviews with the late drummer John Bonham. The film will...
The as-yet-untitled film, which is currently in post-production, comes after the band’s fiftieth anniversary last year. The doc, directed by Bernard MacMahon, will launch in Cannes with CAA representing the U.S. rights and Altitude handling international sales.
The film will trace the journeys of the four members of the Stairway To Heaven rockers through the music scene of the 1960s and their meeting in the summer of 1968, culminating in 1970 when Led Zeppelin II, with “Whole Lotta Love,” knocked The Beatles off the top of the charts and launched the career of what would become the biggest band in the world.
The doc will feature new interviews with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones, as well as rare archival interviews with the late drummer John Bonham. The film will...
- 5/8/2019
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Continuing its investment in Spanish originals, Netflix has unveiled five new projects which will launch on the service worldwide in 2020. In various stages of development and production, they include superhero comedy El Vecino (The Neighbor), based on the graphic novels by Santiago Garcia and Pepo Perez. Colossal and Timecrimes filmmaker Nacho Vigalondo directs the series from Elite‘s Zeta Audiovisual.
Also in the mix, Elite‘s co-creator, Carlos Montero, has a new project in the works for Netflix. El Desorden Que Dejas (The Mess You Leave Behind) is a psychological drama based on Montero’s own award-winning novel.
There are two female-centered series to come including dramedy Valeria based on the novels by Elísabet Benavent, and Días De Navidad (Christmas Days) starring Fortitude‘s Verónica Echegui, Las Chicas Del Cable‘s Anna Moliner and High Heels‘ Victoria Abril.
The fifth project announced today is an anime adaptation of the best-selling...
Also in the mix, Elite‘s co-creator, Carlos Montero, has a new project in the works for Netflix. El Desorden Que Dejas (The Mess You Leave Behind) is a psychological drama based on Montero’s own award-winning novel.
There are two female-centered series to come including dramedy Valeria based on the novels by Elísabet Benavent, and Días De Navidad (Christmas Days) starring Fortitude‘s Verónica Echegui, Las Chicas Del Cable‘s Anna Moliner and High Heels‘ Victoria Abril.
The fifth project announced today is an anime adaptation of the best-selling...
- 2/6/2019
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Berlin — Netflix has unveiled five new Spanish original series, including titles by well-known film director Nacho Vigalondo (“Timecrimes”) and Pau Freixas, executive producer of Spanish breakout “The Red Band Society.”
The new titles see the streaming giant near doubling the number of new and returning scripted series it has in development and production in Spain from six to 11.
Marking its first collaborations with two classic Spanish production houses, Filmax and Plano a Plano, the new series sees the streaming giant still still predominantly targeting women and YA viewers, but brings a far larger variety of series types to the mix.
Announced on the eve of the 2019 Berlin Film Festival, to which Netflix brings a powerful at least 49 executive delegation, and has its first movie ever playing in competition, Isabel Coixet’s “Elisa & Marcela,” the five series announcement marks yet another powerful statement of Netflix’s ambitions in Europe and...
The new titles see the streaming giant near doubling the number of new and returning scripted series it has in development and production in Spain from six to 11.
Marking its first collaborations with two classic Spanish production houses, Filmax and Plano a Plano, the new series sees the streaming giant still still predominantly targeting women and YA viewers, but brings a far larger variety of series types to the mix.
Announced on the eve of the 2019 Berlin Film Festival, to which Netflix brings a powerful at least 49 executive delegation, and has its first movie ever playing in competition, Isabel Coixet’s “Elisa & Marcela,” the five series announcement marks yet another powerful statement of Netflix’s ambitions in Europe and...
- 2/6/2019
- by John Hopewell and Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Continuing its investment in local-language production in Europe, Netflix has unveiled five new series in development in Spain for launch on the platform starting in 2020.
The shows span a range of genres, including a new school-set drama by the co-creator of hit Netflix series Elite, an anime series produced by Endemol Shine’s Zeppelin, a superhero comedy from genre creator Nacho Vigalondo, a female-centered dramedy and a mini-series featuring a blend of veteran and up-and-coming Spanish leading ladies.
“At Netflix, we want to produce local stories with a global appeal, and Spain has constantly generated amazing television both for ...
The shows span a range of genres, including a new school-set drama by the co-creator of hit Netflix series Elite, an anime series produced by Endemol Shine’s Zeppelin, a superhero comedy from genre creator Nacho Vigalondo, a female-centered dramedy and a mini-series featuring a blend of veteran and up-and-coming Spanish leading ladies.
“At Netflix, we want to produce local stories with a global appeal, and Spain has constantly generated amazing television both for ...
In Almost Famous, the 2000 film inspired by Cameron Crowe’s years as a teenage music journalist, one fictional Seventies rocker warns another about talking to a Rolling Stone reporter. “It’s Rolling Stone,” he says. “The magazine that trashed ‘Layla,’ broke up Cream, ripped every album Led Zeppelin ever made!”
Rolling Stone had, in fact, panned Zeppelin’s first two albums. “The latest of the British blues groups so conceived offers little that its twin, the Jeff Beck Group, didn’t say as well or better three months ago,” wrote...
Rolling Stone had, in fact, panned Zeppelin’s first two albums. “The latest of the British blues groups so conceived offers little that its twin, the Jeff Beck Group, didn’t say as well or better three months ago,” wrote...
- 10/27/2018
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
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