An authorized documentary about The Grateful Dead will be truckin’ onto screens in conjunction with the jam band’s 50th anniversary.
Martin Scorsese will serve as an executive producer on the as-yet-untitled film, which will be directed by Amir Bar-Lev, whose credits include such critically acclaimed docs as The Tillman Story, My Kid Could Paint That and Fighter.
The movie will feature new interviews with all of The Grateful Dead’s main surviving members — guitarist Bob Weir, bassist Phil Lesh and drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann — as well as with many of the group’s friends, collaborators and musical associates.
The flick also will boast archival conversations with the band, as well as plenty of previously unreleased concert footage and behind-the-scenes clips. The group’s longtime archivist, David Lemieux, will be the movie’s music supervisor, while Justin Kreutzmann, Bill’s son, will be one of the producers.
Weir, Lesh, Hart and Kreutzmann issued a joint statement about the project that reads, “Millions of stories have been told about the Grateful Dead over the years. With our 50th Anniversary coming up, we thought it might just be time to tell one ourselves and Amir is the perfect guy to help us do it.”
The band members continue, “Needless to say, we are humbled to be collaborating with Martin Scorsese. From The Last Waltz to George Harrison: Living in the Material World, from Bob Dylan to The Rolling Stones, he has made some of the greatest music documentaries ever with some of our favorite artists and we are honored to have him involved.”
They add, “The 50th will be another monumental milestone to celebrate with our fans and we cannot wait to share this film with them.”
Scorsese also commented on the film, saying, “The Grateful Dead were more than just a band. They were their own planet, populated by millions of devoted fans. I’m very happy that this picture is being made and proud to be involved.”
The Grateful Dead formed in 1965, and released their self-titled debut album in 1967. No word yet on when the documentary might be released.
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio
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