David Bowie’s Estate Approve New Film, ‘Moonage Daydream’
Details of forthcoming David Bowie film Moonage Daydream – the first to receive official approval from the late star’s estate – have been revealed.
It was reported back in November that Brett Morgen, who directed Kurt Cobain documentary Montage of Heck, had spent four years working on a film project that involved compiling thousands of hours of archival performance footage of Bowie, majority of which has never before been seen.
Now, Bowie’s estate has confirmed those details and the film’s title, which is lifted from Bowie’s 1972 Ziggy Stardust track of the same name. The estate has also revealed that Moonage Daydream – described as a feature film, concert documentary and “experiential cinematic odyssey” – is nearing completion.
Though there is no confirmation of a theatrical release date, according to Variety, sources suggest that the film may premiere at Cannes Film Festival next month. The film will be distributed by Universal Pictures Content Group internationally, and Neon in the US. A streaming premiere will arrive on HBO and HBO Max in 2023.
A press release announcing the project describes Moonage Daydream as “a project that shows how Bowie himself worked across several disciplines, not just music and film but also dance, painting, sculpture, video and audio collage, screenwriting, acting and live theatre”.
It adds that that Morgen was given “unfiltered access to Bowie’s personal archives, including all master recordings, to create an artful and life-affirming film that takes the audience on a journey through Bowie’s creative life”.
“Morgen has constructed a sublime cinematic experience that will provide audiences with unrestricted access to Bowie’s personal archives,” it continues.
In addition to archival footage, the film will feature Bowie’s own voice and 48 musical tracks, mixed from their original stems into Dolby Atmos, 12.0, 5.0 and 7.1/5.1.
Bowie’s longtime collaborator and producer Tony Visconti worked on the music for the film, alongside Academy Award-winning mixer Paul Massey, David Gimmarco, the sound design team of John Warhurst and Nina Hartstone and VFX producer Stefan Nadelman.