Bleecker Street’s Crosswalk Acquires ‘Long Live Def Leppard’ Doc

Bleecker Street’s event cinema division Crosswalk has acquired the North American rights to the first-ever authorized feature length documentaryon Def Leppard, the company announced Friday. “Long Live Def Leppard” is a complete and all-access account of the epic journey the band has taken from its humble beginnings in the U.K. to a global fandom that continues to today. The doc was directed by Jeff Feuerzeig (“The Devil and Daniel Johnston,” Author: “The JT LeRoy Story”), who also produced 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. 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 on rock music, pushing boundaries with their electrifying live shows. The official synopsis reads: “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.” Sobey Road Entertainment served as lead financier on the film. 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 of 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. “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,” director, writer and producer Jeff Feuerzeig said in a statement. “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,” Bleecker Street CEO Kent Sanderson added. “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.”