BILLY IDOL SHOULD BE DEAD Documentary to Hit Theaters in 2026

The global theatrical rights to 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, have been acquired by Evan Saxon Productions (ESP).

The film made its festival debut at the Tribeca Film Festival last summer, followed by an award-qualifying run. The film will have its wide theatrical release in early 2026. Additional info will be shared shortly.

The film 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, almost fifty years into his career.

“Billy Idol is a larger-than-life artist who changed the face of pop culture and music history during his 50-year career,” notes Evan Saxon. “From Generation X to now, he’s still selling out arenas around the globe. We are honored to work with Another Planet's Laurence Freedman and Live Nation to bring the powerful and heartfelt documentary Billy Idol Should Be Dead to his fans on the biggest cinema screens worldwide.”

The film features Idol’s original song with Academy Award-nominated writer J. Ralph, “Dying To Live,” which is included on the shortlist 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. Watch the video of the coda sequence below.

The original 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.

Photo credit: Mathieu Bitton