Judas Priest on 7/28/80 in Rockford, IL (Photo by Paul Natkin/WireImage)
Sony Music Vision recently announced that production for a Judas Priest documentary is in the works. In association with Sony Music Entertainment UK and Epic Records, this new documentary will showcase the multi-decade career of the legendary British heavy metal band, from their hard-rock beginnings in the late 70s to their rise to metal-stardom in the 1980s and beyond. While Judas Priest were a part of VH1’s ‘Behind The Music’ documentary series in 2001, Sony’s documentary will be the first major film on the band distributed by a big studio.
Judas Priest Confirm The Documentary Is Happening
As the news surfaced of this Sony documentary, Judas Priest announced to their fans on social media that they are in fact taking part in this production, stating “We have lived and breathed metal for over five decades, and finally in this documentary we are summoning our congregation to officially witness our lives uncensored, in a never-before-seen way…the cassock comes off, revealing Priest in all its metal glory!”
Here’s Who Will Be Directing The Judas Priest Documentary
Just as Priest were announcing their participation, Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello and metal documentarian Sam Dunn announced they would be co-directing the film together. “While some may know Judas Priest for their huge hits that have shaped the heavy metal genre, there is so much more to their story,” co-directors Morello and Dunn stated. “Tracing their incredible 50-year journey, this film will capture how Judas Priest both defined the sound and look of metal, but also made it a more inclusive place along the way. We are grateful to the band for allowing us such intimate, unfiltered access to their lives and look forward to bringing this film to the metal masses around the world.”
Samm Dunn is the owner of Banger Films which will be producing the upcoming film. Dunn’s previous work includes multiple documentaries covering heavy metal music and culture, including the mini-series Metal Evolution which dedicated 11 episodes covering individual sub-genres under the metal umbrella. For fans of recent metal and rock documentaries, Dunn’s work stands out as some of best in the business, and there isn’t another documentarian that comes to mind that’d be a better fit for this monumental production.
As for Morello, he’s had his foot in a few huge metal related events lately, specifically being the musical director for Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s upcoming final performance, Back To The Beginning. Morello’s been a vocal fan of the heavy metal genre for years and has appeared in a litany of documentaries on heavy metal and rock history (including some by Sam Dunn). On top of that, Morello is an avid Priest fan so his partnership with Dunn on this documentary will make for a unique production.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/quentinsinger/2025/05/27/everything-to-know-about-the-upcoming-judas-priest-documentary/