Def Leppard Documentary ‘Long Live Def Leppard’ Coming to Theaters in 2027 From Bleecker Street’s Crosswalk

Sheffield's own Def Leppard, a band that rose from England's industrial heartland to become one of the biggest rock acts on the planet, is finally getting the authorized documentary treatment. Acclaimed filmmaker Jeff Feuerzeig, known for the Sundance-winning "The Devil and Daniel Johnston" and "Author: The JT LeRoy Story," is directing the feature, titled "Long Live Def Leppard." Crosswalk, the event cinema arm of Bleecker Street, has picked up North American distribution rights, with plans to bring the film to theaters in early 2027. It marks the first fully authorized full-length documentary about the group, whose career album sales have surpassed 110 million copies and whose members were enshrined in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

For Feuerzeig, the project is deeply personal. His fandom dates back to the summer of 1981, when, after reading about the band in Creem magazine, he caught them opening for Ozzy Osbourne on the inaugural Blizzard of Ozz tour at Asbury Park's Convention Hall. The venue, a 1920s landmark on the New Jersey shoreline, had already hosted legends like the Rolling Stones and would later become synonymous with Bruce Springsteen. Watching these working-class kids from Sheffield punch far above their weight, Feuerzeig says, left an indelible mark and made him a devotee for life. He calls the chance to work alongside them an honor, arguing that their singular, uplifting, and often humorous underdog saga belongs on the big screen. Notably, he stresses that the film sidesteps the well-worn sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll template.

Made with the band's complete backing, the documentary promises an immersive portrait built around never-before-seen archival footage and deep access to frontman Joe Elliott, guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell, bassist Rick Savage, and drummer Rick Allen. A synopsis traces their meteoric rise behind the blockbuster records "Pyromania" and "Hysteria," followed by two devastating blows: Rick Allen's horrific car crash, which cost him his left arm, and the death of guitarist Steve Clark, whose thunderous riffs earned him a permanent place among rock's elite six-string players. Rather than folding, the band turned those tragedies into turning points, reinventing itself and enduring as one of rock's most resilient acts. Allen's return is the stuff of legend: he resumed drumming on a custom electronic kit built to suit his disability and has remained behind the kit for more than forty years.

Bleecker Street CEO Kent Sanderson hailed the group as a one-of-a-kind rock force whose story and live shows were made for the cinema, predicting that diehard fans and newcomers alike will be swept up by the film's kinetic, gripping, and emotionally charged account. Sobey Road Entertainment led financing on "Long Live Def Leppard." The executive producer bench is crowded: Nigel Sinclair and Cassidy Hartmann (White Horse Pictures); Stuart Goldstein and Rosie Taylor (Vice Studios); Andrew Trapani (Sobey Road Entertainment); Emmerson G. Farrell; David Sze; David B. Kirk; Bruce Resnikoff and Adam Barker (Universal Music Group); Lawrence Mestel; Natalia Nastaskin and Robert Dippold (Primary Wave Music); Todd Lieberman (Hidden Pictures); Brian Monaco (Sony Music Publishing); and Mike Kobayashi (CSM Management). Amy Rattray of Vice Studios serves as line producer, while Avy Eschenasy negotiated for Crosswalk and Kevin Iwashina of Audiovisuel represented the filmmakers.