Def Leppard Authorized Documentary ‘Long Live Def Leppard’ Set for Early 2027 Release

Def Leppard’s rise from Sheffield schoolmates to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees takes center stage in the upcoming authorized documentary.

The band has announced Long Live Def Leppard, their first authorized full-length documentary, with Bleecker Street’s Crosswalk scheduling a North American theatrical release for early 2027. Jeff Feuerzeig, director of The Devil and Daniel Johnston and Author: The JT LeRoy Story, will helm the project, which promises “never-before-seen footage and unparalleled access to its members,” according to a press release.

“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,” 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 & roll tale. Long live Def Leppard, indeed!”

Long Live Def Leppard will include new interviews with all five longstanding members — vocalist Joe Elliott, guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell, drummer Rick Allen, and bassist Rick Savage — who will recount the stories behind the “Pour Some Sugar on Me” hitmakers.

“Born out of working-class Sheffield, Def Leppard’s story is one of an unbreakable brotherhood,” Crosswalk said in its synopsis. “After exploding onto the global rock scene with the hit albums Pyromania and Hysteria, the band endured two devastating chapters: drummer Rick Allen’s life-altering accident, which cost him his arm, and the loss of guitarist Steve Clark, whose anthemic riffs earned him a permanent place among rock’s guitar legends. Those tragedies became defining moments in the band’s history as Def Leppard rebuilt itself and went on to become one of the most enduring forces in rock.”

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