Apple announced they have acquited the rights to Beastie Boys Story, a new nonfiction film from Grammy Award-winning Beastie Boys members Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz and Academy Award-winning director Spike Jonze. A special cut of the documentary feature will open exclusively in select IMAX® theatres for a limited engagement April 3, before premiering globally on Apple TV+ on April 24. Based on the best-selling book Beastie Boys Book and limited engagement, sold-out tour, Beastie Boys Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz, tell you an intimate, personal story of their band and 40 years of friendship in this live documentary experience directed by their longtime friend and collaborator, and their former “grandfather”, filmmaker Spike Jonze. The third founding member of the Beasties, Adam “MCA” Yauch, died of cancer in 2012.

The film is set to premiere on the heels of the 26th anniversary of the release of Beastie Boys’ #1 charting 1994 album, Ill Communication, and reunites Beastie Boys with director Spike Jonze over 25 years after directing the music video for the album’s immortal hit single, ‘Sabotage.’

Beastie Boys Story is produced by Grammy Award winner Jason Baum, Amanda Adelson, alongside director and writer Spike Jonze, and executive produced by Mike Diamond, Adam Horovitz, Dechen Wangdu-Yauch, John Silva, John Cutcliffe, Peter Smith, Thomas Benski, Dan Bowen, Sam Bridger, Michele Anthony, David Blackman and Ashley Newton.

The project grew out of Adam’s and Mike’s collaboration on their bestselling “Beastie Boys Book”

“There are some friends you have lunch with so many times over the years, you know their order. Spike is one of those friends. And even when you don’t recognize anything on the menu, he comes up with something good for the whole table. Like when we wondered what to do when our book comes out… then Spike placed his order: You will put on a show for the children.” – Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz

“I owe Beastie Boys a lot. One time, they pulled me out of a burning ship, and another time they helped me cheat on my college exam to get into Florida State. So, it was a real privilege to get to reunite with them and help them tell their story.” – Spike Jonze

“This is the eighth time I’ve rewritten this thing, the filmmakers kept telling me I was doing it wrong but I’m really feeling this one. Here’s what the film is: MikeDiamond and Adam Horovitz of Beastie Boys tell you an intimate, personal story of their band, and their 40 years of friendship together. From the 1980s New York City punk scene, to Fight For Your Right (to Party) and becoming the first hip-hop artists to make a #1 record (Licensed to Ill), through their evolution, which took them to Sabotage, Intergalactic and beyond. Created with their old friend, their former grandfather and collaborator, filmmaker Spike Jonze, the film seamlessly mixes a live stage show and documentary to create a new format, a live documentary. Does that make sense? It’ll make more sense when you see the trailer that the filmmakers haven’t finished editing yet, despite constant badgering. But anyways, I’m not mad. In this film that was shot at Kings Theater in Brooklyn, Mike D and Adrock discuss their evolution as musicians, artists and people, and a whole bunch of other crazy sh!t. Their co-conspirator, musician, activist, inventor, discredited astrophysics professor and my favorite beastie boy, Adam Yauch, couldn’t be there that night because he passed away in 2012. But even though he’s not there, his spirit is very much felt onstage through Mike and Adam and the force of nature that was Yauch, their band, and their friendship.” – Larry

 

The film is produced for Apple by Fresh Bread and Pulse Films in association with Polygram Entertainment. The deal was negotiated by Endeavor Content and CAA on behalf of the filmmakers.

Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch, Mac, as well as select Samsung smart TVs, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices and at tv.apple.com, for $4.99 per month with a seven day free trial. Customers who purchase a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch or Mac can enjoy one year of Apple TV+ for free.*