Steve Martin, the legendary comic, can now proudly claim the title of “older statesman” in the entertainment industry and will be the focus of a new documentary. Filmmakers Morgan Neville and A24 will produce the two-part film that will be released on Apple’s TV+ streaming service. Martin is one of the greatest multi-hyphenates in the history of comedy, having starred in several films and hosted Saturday Night Live.
A book on his career as a comic, entitled Born Standing Up, was published in 2012 and he is currently working on his follow-up, Number One Is Walking: My Life in the Movies and Other Diversions, which will be released shortly. At the moment, his long-time friend Martin Short and Selena Gomez co-star in the blockbuster Hulu series Only Murders in the Building. Three Amigos; Plains, Trains and Automobile; Parenthood; the Father of the Bride flicks and Cheaper by a Dozen are among Martin’s other notable works. He’s won many Grammys, an Emmy, and an honorary Oscar for his work as a banjo player. Neville’s choice to create a film about Martin is a fascinating (if surprising) one. 20 Feet from Stardom, his 2013 documentary on the lives of famous artists’ backup singers, won him an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.
His 2018 documentary They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead, on Orson Welles’ ill-fated The Other Side of the Wind production, was directed by him as well. Additionally, he produced and directed the Fred Rogers biopic Will You Be My Neighbor? that same year. Neville’s use of artificial intelligence to resuscitate Anthony Bourdain’s voice in his 2021 documentary Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain has lately sparked some debate. It’s evident that Neville has a wide range of interests, but they’re all tied to the entertainment business in some way.
An Apple slate that already includes the four-part Earvin “Magic” Johnson docuseries, the Emmy-nominated documentary Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, the Critics’ Choice Documentary Award-nominated film The Velvet Underground, the upcoming documentary honouring iconic Academy Award-winning actor and filmmaker Sidney Poitier, and the recently announced feature film about Michael J. Fox’s life. At this point, A24 is best recognised for producing critically acclaimed independent films like this year’s Everything Everywhere All at Once and Moonlight. Amy, Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow’s De Palma, and, most recently, Val Kilmer’s documentary Val have all been distributed by the firm in the nonfiction area.