BILLY IDOL SHOULD BE DEAD Documentary Sets U.S. Theatrical Release

The forthcoming feature-length documentary film Billy Idol Should Be Dead, directed by three-time Grammy-winner Jonas Åkerlund and produced by Live Nation Studios, will see its U.S. theatrical release on February 26. See HERE for screening times and tickets.

Ahead of its wide theatrical release, the film will make its Los Angeles debut at the TCL Chinese Theatre on February 23 and its New York debut at the Regal Union Square on February 25. Both the Los Angeles and New York premieres will be followed by an acoustic performance by Idol and longtime collaborator and guitarist Steve Stevens. 

The documentary traces the life and career of punk pioneer turned rock ‘n’ roll icon Billy Idol. Through never-before-seen archival and personal interviews with Idol, his family, peers and collaborators, the documentary digs deep into his emergence as a prototypical punk rocker, his meteoric rise as a global superstar in the MTV era and the myriad of challenges Idol had to overcome to not just survive, but to remain one of the most beloved figures in rock n roll, fifty years into his career.

The film made its festival debut at the Tribeca Film Festival last summer, followed by an award-qualifying run. Theatrical distribution in NORTH AMERICA is handled by Evan Saxon Productions (ESP), while distribution outside the U.S. is handled by Fremantle.

The film features Idol’s original song with Academy Award-nominated songwriter J. Ralph, “Dying To Live,” which was recently shortlisted for Best Original Song at the 98th Academy Awards. The film’s coda sequence is built around “Dying To Live,” featuring imagery—both animated and archival—from throughout Idol’s life and storied career and was written by Idol and Ralph alongside longtime Idol collaborators Steve Stevens, Tommy English and Joe Janiak. The song was recently nominated for Best Song-Documentary Film at the Hollywood Music In Media (HMMA) Awards, which also nominated Billy Idol Should Be Dead for Best Music Documentary-Special Program.

Idol’s first full-length album of new music in over a decade, Dream Into It, is out now on Dark Horse Records. The album reached #7 on the U.S. Top Albums Chart and #4 on the U.S. Current Rock Album Chart, #9 on the U.K. Official Album Sales Chart and #2 on the German Top 100 Album Chart. 

The album includes performance and co-writing contributions throughout from Idol’s longtime guitarist/collaborator Steve Stevens plus appearances by Lavigne, Joan Jett and Alison Mosshart of The Kills, and is produced by Tommy English (Kacey Musgraves, blink 182, BØRNS, K. Flay).

Additionally, Idol recently returned to THE ROAD for It’s a Nice Day To…Tour Again! The tour saw Idol sell out venues across the U.S., Europe and Latin America while touring with support from Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, New Model Army and more. The tour announcement video featuring Idol, Jett and comedian Matt Rife was awarded a Bronze CLIO Award in the medium of live music marketing and category of live music promotion.

Watch a clip from the film below: