Def Leppard Documentary Long Live Def Leppard Set for Early 2027 Theatrical Release

The first authorized feature-length documentary about Def Leppard has a North American home. Bleecker Street’s event cinema division Crosswalk acquired rights to Long Live Def Leppard, with an early 2027 theatrical release planned.

Jeff Feuerzeig directs the film, which was made in close collaboration with the band and includes never-before-seen footage and access to its members. Feuerzeig’s previous work, including The Devil and Daniel Johnston and Author: The JT LeRoy Story, has focused on the less tidy corners of music history. That fits a group whose commercial peak was followed by severe setbacks.

Def Leppard emerged from working-class Sheffield and found global success with Pyromania and Hysteria. In 1984, drummer Rick Allen lost his arm in a car accident. In 1991, guitarist Steve Clark died. The band continued, selling more than 110 million albums and eventually entering the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Its recent sold-out Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace suggests the live story is still active.

Feuerzeig saw the band early, in 1981, when Def Leppard opened for Ozzy Osbourne in Asbury Park. He has described the project as an underdog story. Crosswalk, meanwhile, is expanding its music-driven theatrical slate after Hadestown; it will release George Michael: The Faith Tour on Dec. 11.