Disney+ Announces Elton John Documentary
Following the huge success of The Beatles: Get Back on the Disney+ streaming service, The Walt Disney Company has announced that a feature-length documentary on music icon Elton John and his farewell tour is in the works. Titled Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Final Elton John Performances And The Years That Made His Legend, the film will be directed by R.J. Cutler (Nashville, Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry) alongside David Furnish (John's partner and director of Elton John: Tantrums & Tiaras). The upcoming film will feature "unseen concert footage of (John) over the past 50 years, hand-written journals and present-day footage of him and his family." It will premiere in festivals and in a limited theatrical release ahead of a Disney+ debut.
"There are no superlatives left to describe Elton John and his impact on music and culture – he's simply unrivaled," said Bob Chapek, CEO of The Walt Disney Company. "Like a good Disney story, Elton's music has both universal appeal and the ability to connect with audiences on a deeply personal level. He has been part of the Disney family since 1994 when he helped make 'The Lion King' an instant classic, and we could not be more excited to collaborate with him on this new documentary."
A press release from Disney says the film will "capture Elton John's final months on the road, culminating in what promises to be one of the greatest send-offs in rock-and-roll history when John performs his final North American show at Dodger Stadium this upcoming November. The film will also look back at the extraordinary first five years of John's career when, between 1970 and 1975, he released 10 iconic albums, seven of which went to No. 1 on the Billboard charts and became a global phenomenon."
"Working with R.J. Cutler and David Furnish on what will undoubtedly become the definitional film about the iconic Elton John is a great honor," said Ayo Davis, president of Disney Branded Television. "Their incredible vision and intimate access to exclusive, never-before-seen anecdotes and footage will provide the deepest, most captivating insight yet into one of the world's most beloved and prolific artists."
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Final Elton John Performances And The Years That Made His Legend will also include exclusive new interviews and performance clips from Madison Square Garden, London and other performance venues, the film will be the definitive portrait of one of the world's most successful musical artists of all time, who has inspired multiple generations of audiences and musicians.
It's unclear when Goodbye Yellow Brick Road will premiere but incorporating footage from John's final North American concert this November would give it a very short timeline to debut in 2022. If you haven't signed up for Disney+ yet, you can try it out here.
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