‘Billy Idol Should Be Dead’ Acquired by Evan Saxon Productions for Worldwide Theatrical (EXCLUSIVE)

Global theatrical rights to the feature length documentary “ Billy Idol Should Be Dead” have been acquired by Evan Saxon Productions. The doc, which screened at last year’s Tribeca Festival followed by an awards-qualifying run, is directed by Jonas Åkerlund and produced by Live Nation Studios, and will be released in theaters this year. Tracing the life and career of punk pioneer and rock icon Billy Idol, the doc includes never-before-seen archival and personal interviews with the musician, his family and collaborators. Starting with his punk rock beginnings, it covers his rise as a global sensation in the MTV era and the challenges he overcame to survive and continue his career as a beloved rock figure nearly 50 years after he began. Idol broke onto the music scene as lead singer of influential British punk band Generation X. He went solo in 1981 and had hits during the MTV era with now-classic New Wave tunes including “White Wedding,” “Rebel Yell” and “Eyes Without a Face.” Popular on Variety “Billy Idol is a larger-than-life artist who changed the face of pop culture and music history during his 50-year career,” said Evan Saxon in a statement, “From Generation X to now, he’s still selling out arenas around the globe. We are honored to work with Another Planet’s Laurence Freedman and Live Nation to bring the powerful and heartfelt documentary ‘ Billy Idol Should Be Dead ‘ to his fans on the biggest cinema screens worldwide.” Included in the film is Idol’s original song with Oscar-nommed writer J. Ralph, “Dying to Live,” which was shortlisted for best song at this year’s Academy Awards. The song plays over the film’s coda sequence, featuring archival and animated images from Idol’s life and career. It was written by Idol and Ralph with collaborators Steve Stevens, Tommy English and Joe Janiak. Idol’s latest album “Dream Into It” is now out on Dark Horse Records. Evan Saxon has acquired, distributed and marketed music-centric films for event cinema engagements featuring artists including The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Dolly Parton, Paul McCartney and Pearl Jam.

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