Elton John is following in the footsteps of The Beatles and is set to have a new documentary on Disney+.
According to Deadline, “Disney Original Documentary and Disney+ have won the rights to a big feature documentary package, ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Final Elton John Performances and the Years That Made His Legend.’ No one would comment, but we hear the doc, from Academy Award-nominee R.J. Cutler as well as filmmaker (and longtime Elton John partner) David Furnish, sold for about $30 million.”
Of course, this isn’t Disney+’s first foray into highlighting musical legends. The streaming service made a massive splash last year with The Beatles: Get Back, a three-part docuseries about the making of Let It Be that featured the full-length version of the iconic rooftop concert.
In a statement on the documentary, Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek said, “There are no superlatives left to describe Elton John and his impact on music and culture — he’s simply unrivaled. 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.”
Furnish would add in his own statement, “Elton and I could not think of a better collaborator than R.J. Cutler for a film that represents more than just Elton’s career — it’s his life. From the Troubadour to Dodger Stadium, we knew that R.J. would help guide Elton’s story and its many layers in a way that feels authentic and evocative. We’re ecstatic to be working together.”
An exact release date is currently unknown, but the doc will reportedly be submitted and screened by a number of high-profile film festivals and will receive a limited theatrical release in addition to being available for streaming exclusively on Disney+.
