Def Leppard Documentary ‘Long Live Def Leppard’ Coming to Theaters in 2027

NEW YORK, NY – September 11, 2026 – Primary Wave Music is proud to announce that Bleecker Street’s event cinema division Crosswalk has acquired the North American rights to the first ever authorized feature length documentary on Def Leppard, LONG LIVE DEF LEPPARD, a complete and all-access account of the epic journey the band has taken from its humble beginnings in the UK to a global fandom that continues to today. The documentary was directed by Jeff Feuerzeig (The Devil and Daniel Johnston, Author: The JT LeRoy Story) who also produced the documentary alongside Alice Rhodes and Sam Bridger for VICE Studios, Nicholas Ferrall and Jeanne Elfant Festa of White Horse Pictures, Danny Gabai of The Searchers Documentary Films, and Brian T. Nugent of Sobey Road Entertainment. The film is slated for an early 2027 release in theaters.

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With more than 110 million albums sold worldwide, two prestigious Diamond Awards in the U.S., and an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame^®, Def Leppard continues to make a lasting impact in rock music, pushing boundaries with their electrifying live shows. Produced in close collaboration with the band, LONG LIVE DEF LEPPARD will take fans on a wild ride into the world of this iconic English rock band, with never-before-seen footage and unparalleled access to its members.

Born out of working-class Sheffield, Def Leppard’s story is one of an unbreakable brotherhood. After exploding onto the global rock scene with their hit albums Pyromania and Hysteria, the band faced two devastating chapters: drummer Rick Allen’s life-altering accident, which cost him his arm, and the loss of guitarist Steve Clark, whose anthemic and dynamic riffs earned him a permanent place among the guitar legends of all time. Those tragedies became defining moments in the band’s history, as Def Leppard rebuilt themselves and went on to become one of the most enduring forces in rock. Today, Def Leppard continues to prove its staying power, selling out stadiums and arenas around the world and recently completing a sold out residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

The film was executive produced by Nigel Sinclair and Cassidy Hartmann of White Horse Pictures, Stuart Goldstein and Rosie Taylor of VICE Studios, Andrew Trapani of Sobey Road Entertainment, Emmerson G. Farrell, David Sze, David B. Kirk, Bruce Resnikoff and Adam Barker of Universal Music Group,  Lawrence Mestel; Natalia Nastaskin and Robert Dippold (Primary Wave Music), Todd Lieberman of Hidden Pictures, Brian Monaco of Sony Music Publishing, and Mike Kobayashi of CSM Management. Amy Rattray from VICE Studios serves as Line Producer. The deal was negotiated by Avy Eschenasy for Crosswalk and Kevin Iwashina of Audiovisuel on behalf of the filmmakers.

“In the summer of ’81, after reading about Def Leppard in Creem, I saw the not-yet-famous band open for Ozzy Osbourne on his first Blizzard of Ozz tour at Asbury Park’s Convention Hall,” said Jeff Feuerzeig, Director, Writer and Producer. “These young lads from working-class Sheffield were punching far above their weight and playing for keeps. I was smitten, a fan for life. It has been an honor to collaborate with the guys and bring their unique, heartwarming, and often humorous underdog story to the screen. This is not your typical sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll tale. Long live Def Leppard, indeed!”

“Def Leppard is a once in a lifetime rock band, whose story and live performances demand to be seen and heard on the big screen,” said Bleecker Street CEO Kent Sanderson. “Longtime fans and those just being introduced to the group are going to be blown away by this high energy, compelling, and ultimately moving look into this legendary band.”

Feuerzeig is a director, writer, and producer whose feature The Devil and Daniel Johnston won the Documentary Directing Award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed theatrically by Sony Pictures Classics. Additional directing credits include AUTHOR: The JT LeRoy Story for Amazon Films and The Real Rocky for ESPN’s acclaimed “30 for 30” series. He also directed numerous commercials and branded content for Google, Nokia, Samsung, and more brands than he cares to admit. As a screenwriter, his credits include Chuck, aka The Bleeder (co-written with Jerry Stahl), starring Liev Schreiber and Naomi Watts, as well as the Johnny Paycheck pilot and George Jones & Tammy Wynette episodes of Mike Judge Presents: Tales From the Tour Bus, the animated nonfiction music series for Cinemax. He has also written for HBO, Amazon Films, IFC, and Universal Studios. Feuerzeig is a frequent guest on The Best Show and numerous podcasts devoted to music, film, and nonfiction storytelling. Albert Maysles personally invited Jeff to join Maysles Films after a screening of The Devil and Daniel Johnston. INDIEWIRE named The Devil and Daniel Johnston “The Best Music Documentary of the 21st Century.”

Coming off the success of Hadestown: The Musical, the record breaking live capture of Tony Award^®-winning hit musical Hadestown, which grossed over $20m domestically and supplanted Hamilton as the highest-grossing live capture of a stage show in history, Crosswalk is continuing its track record of delivering innovative and immersive cinematic experiences to audiences globally. Next up, the company will release George Michael: The Faith Tour, the electric concert film featuring recently rediscovered, never-before-seen footage of the global superstar during the European leg of the Faith Tour, in theaters and IMAX^® on December 11. Bleecker Street’s fall slate includes Academy Award^®-winner Alex Gibney’s epic documentary Musk which will premiere at the Venice International Film Festival; Anton Corbijn’s A Talent For Murder starring Helen Mirren, Alden Ehrenreich, and Olivia Cooke; and Mike Leigh’s Tender Loving Care, both of which will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The company also has Academy Award^®-winner Guy Nattiv’s The Liberation starring Carrie Coon, Lily James, Odessa Young, Tracy Letts, and Bella Ramsey, which will have an awards qualifying run in 2026.

About Def Leppard:

With more than 110 million albums sold worldwide and two prestigious Diamond Awards in the U.S., Rock & Roll Hall of Fame® inductees Def Leppard – Joe Elliott (vocals), Phil Collen (guitar), Rick Savage (bass), Vivian Campbell (guitar) and Rick Allen (drums) — continue to be one of the most important forces in rock music. Over the course of their career, the band has produced a series of classic ground-breaking albums – including the 14x Platinum Hysteria and 11x Platinum Pyromania – that set the bar for generations of music fans and artists alike. The group’s spectacular live shows and arsenal of hits have become synonymous with their name, leading Def Leppard to be heralded as the world’s greatest live rock band. In May 2022, Def Leppard released their critically and commercially acclaimed twelfth studio album Diamond Star Halos. The album debuted at #1 on the Apple, Amazon Music and Billboard’s Hard Rock charts, and scored a Top 10 debut on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart, marking the band’s eighth Top 10 album of their career. Globally, it notched numerous Top 10 chart entries including a Top 5 debut in the UK. Following this success, the band released their 13th studio album Drastic Symphonies with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 2023, which charted at #4 in the UK– their highest UK chart entry in over 32 years—and spent an impressive 15 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Current Classical chart. In 2024, the band teamed up with legendary guitarist Tom Morello for their single “Just Like 73”, which soared to #1 on the Mediabase Classic Rock chart. By the end of this year, Def Leppard will have sold over 4.5 million tickets across the globe since their sold out stadium run in 2022 alongside Mötley Crüe, a massive feat in today’s touring world. Additionally, the band has garnered an impressive 20 million followers across their social media platforms. Marking another huge milestone, the band was recently honored with their own star on the iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame. Following the close of their historic 2018 co-headline stadium and arena run in North America, Def Leppard sold more than 1,000,000 tickets, a massive feat in today’s touring world. Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe topped that number yet again with another sold out stadium run in 2022 and 2023, selling over 2.1 million tickets across the globe while performing in 27 countries and on five continents. Continuing to push boundaries with their electrifying live shows, Def Leppard completed their third sold out Las Vegas residency in February 2026 before touring India, the UK and Europe (including headlining & selling out the iconic o2 Arena in London and the 85,000 capacity Wacken Open Air festival in Germany).