Apple TV Plus Lands ‘Beastie Boys Story’ Documentary From Spike Jonze

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Apple TV Plus has nabbed rights to “Beastie Boys Story,” a documentary about the legendary rap trio produced by Spike Jonze.

The movie features Beastie Boys Adam Horovitz and Mike Diamond discussing the group’s 40-year friendship and rise to fame as hip-hop exploded in the late 1980s. The movie billed as a “live” documentary was shot at Brooklyn’s Kings Theater. The pair also pay tribute to founding member Adam Yauch (aka MCA), who died of cancer at age 47 in 2012.

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“Beastie Boys Story” is set to debut in Imax theaters on April 3 and will be available via Apple TV Plus on April 24.

The film was a byproduct of Horvitz and Diamond’s work on the retrospective “Beastie Boys Book,” which was released by Random House in 2018. Jonze, known for such features as 2013’s “Her” and 1999’s “Being John Malkovich,” has a long history with the group, having directed the music video for the Beasties’ 1994 hit “Sabotage.” The docu release also coincides with the 26th anniversary of the album “Ill Communication.”

“There are some friends you have lunch with so many times over the years, you know their order,” Horovitz and Diamond said in a statement. “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.”

Jason Baum, Amanda Adelson and Jonze are producers of “Beastie Boys Story.”Diamond, Horovitz, Dechen Wangdu-Yauch, John Silva, John Cutcliffe, Peter Smith, Thomas Benski, Dan Bowen, Sam Bridger, Michele Anthony, David Blackman and Ashley Newton are exec producers.

“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,” Jonze said. “So, it was a real privilege to get to reunite with them and help them tell their story.”

The film hails from Fresh Bread and Pulse Films in association with Polygram Entertainment. Endeavor Content and CAA negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers.

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