Back in 2023, filmmaker Morgan Neville (of the excellent Anthony Bourdain retrospective Roadrunner) announced Man on the Run, a documentary chronicling Paul McCartney’s life following The Beatles. Now, almost exactly two years later, the doc finally has a due date its running toward.
Streaming globally beginning February 27th via Amazon Prime, Man on the Run will draw on “unprecedented access to a never-before-seen archive of Paul and Linda’s home videos and photos, as well as new interviews,” according to the original press release. More specifically, the film will focus primarily on that wild but magical time from The Beatles’ 1970 break-up to Wings’ rise to fame throughout the mid-1970s.
At the time of the film’s announcement, Neville said he was attempting to tell a story in McCartney’s life that often seemed wholly under-appreciated.
“As a lifelong obsessive of all things McCartney, I’ve always felt that the 1970s were the great under-examined part of his story,” Neville said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to have the chance to explore and reappraise this crucial moment in a great artist’s life and work.”
Related Video
A press release goes on to say that in the doc, McCartney “faces emotional, artistic, and personal challenges while defining a new decade of music.” In the end, Man on the Run ultimately “captures a truly transformative era — one marked by reinvention, family unity, artistic risk-taking.”
In addition to the release date, the film’s trailer has also debuted. The use of archival material isn’t just great for stoking nostalgia, but it offers a novel and intimate look at the “Cute Beatle” at a personally tumultuous but creatively potent time in his life. The look, feel, and tone of the doc may feel a bit more playful and whimsical in parts, but it also asks serious questions about the intersection of family and art, and how true geniuses are never done chasing their respective muse. Plus, one thing is totally clear: ’70s McCartney was a proper dream-boat.
The film was produced by McCartney’s MPL and Polygram Entertainment (the film and television division of Universal Music Group). Man on the Run spans 115 minutes and is rated R.
youtube.com/watch?v=pBcllNrY0u8&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.billboard.com%2F&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE
