“Becoming Led Zeppelin,” the first official documentary about the iconic British rock band, is finally set for a theatrical release. Directed by Bernard MacMahon, this “hybrid docu-concert film” (as described in a press release) debuted as a work in progress at the Venice Film Festival in 2021. Now fully completed, Sony Pictures Classics has acquired it for a North American release, with the exact date yet to be announced.
The documentary narrates the band’s story through the members’ own words, featuring new interviews with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones, along with unreleased interviews with the late John Bonham. It showcases newly unearthed material from all four members’ archives, including home movies and family photos. Additionally, unseen footage of concerts at the Fillmore West, the Atlanta Pop Festival, and the Texas Pop Festival from 1969 is included.
Jimmy Page expressed his excitement in a press release, stating, “When I saw the early cut of the film at the Venice Film Festival, it was amazing. The energy of the story and the power of the music are phenomenal.”