Billy Idol Should Be Dead Set For U.S. Theatrical Release February 26
- Details
- Category: Theatre, Music
- Published on Thursday, 26 February 2026 10:29
- Written by A&E Contributing Editor
Rock legend Billy Idol is included in the newly announced nominations for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2026 alongside Phil Collins, Lauryn Hill, Oasis, Sade, and others. Complete list of with the fan vote HERE.
The forthcoming feature-length documentary film Billy Idol Should Be Dead, directed by three-time Grammy-winner Jonas Åkerlund and produced by Live Nation Studios, will see its U.S. theatrical release February 26. Ahead of its wide theatrical release, the film will make its Los Angeles debut at the TCL Chinese Theatre on February 23 and its New York debut at the Regal Union Square on February 25. Both the Los Angeles and New York premieres will be followed by an acoustic performance by Idol and longtime collaborator and guitarist Steve Stevens. See HERE for screening times and tickets and watch/share a clip from the film HERE.
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The documentary traces the life and career of punk pioneer turned rock 'n' roll icon Billy Idol. Through never-before-seen archival and personal interviews with Idol, his family, peers and collaborators, the documentary digs deep into his emergence as a prototypical punk rocker, his meteoric rise as a global superstar in the MTV era and the myriad of challenges Idol had to overcome to not just survive, but to remain one of the most beloved figures in rock n roll, fifty years into his career.
The film made its festival debut at the Tribeca Film Festival last summer, followed by an award qualifying run. Theatrical distribution in North America is handled by Evan Saxon Productions (ESP), while distribution outside the U.S. is handled by Fremantle.
The film features Idol's original song with Academy Award-nominated songwriter J. Ralph, "Dying To Live," which was recently shortlisted for Best Original Song at the 98th Academy Awards. The film's coda sequence is built around "Dying To Live," featuring imagery—both animated and archival—from throughout Idol's life and storied career and was written by Idol and Ralph alongside longtime Idol collaborators Steve Stevens, Tommy English and Joe Janiak. Listen to the song and watch/share the video of the coda sequence HERE. The song was recently nominated for Best Song-Documentary Film at the Hollywood Music In Media (HMMA) Awards, which also nominated Billy Idol Should Be Dead for Best Music Documentary-Special Program.
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Idol's first full-length album of new music in over a decade, Dream Into It, is out now on Dark Horse Records. The album reached #7 on the U.S. Top Albums Chart and #4 on the U.S. Current Rock Album Chart, #9 on the U.K. Official Album Sales Chart and #2 on the German Top 100 Album Chart. Dream Into It continues to see extensive critical acclaim from The New Yorker, New York Magazine, AARP The Magazine, Consequence, Billboard, USA Today and many more. See what the press has said and watch Idol's appearances on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" (performing his new single "77" feat. Avril Lavigne as well as discussing the new record with Kimmel) and "The Drew Barrymore Show" in the interactive one-sheet HERE.
The album includes performance and co-writing contributions throughout from Idol's longtime guitarist/collaborator Steve Stevens plus appearances by Lavigne, Joan Jett and Alison Mosshart of The Kills, and is produced by Tommy English (Kacey Musgraves, blink 182, BØRNS, K. Flay). Stream/purchase the record HERE.
Additionally, Idol recently returned to the road for It's a Nice Day To…Tour Again! The tour saw Idol sell out venues across the U.S., Europe and Latin America while touring with support from Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, New Model Army and more. The tour announcement video featuring Idol, Jett and comedian Matt Rife was awarded a Bronze CLIO Award in the medium of live music marketing and category of live music promotion.
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ABOUT BILLY IDOL
For almost 50 years, Billy Idol has been one of the definitive faces and voices of rock'n'roll. Between 1977 and 1981, Idol released three albums with Generation X as their camera-ready frontman. In 1982, with guitarist Steve Stevens at his side, he embarked on a transatlantic/trans-genre solo career that integrated the bold and simple lines of punk and rock'n'roll decadence on songs like "Dancing With Myself," "White Wedding," Rebel Yell," "Eyes Without A Face," "Cradle of Love" and more. Touring consistently around the world and showing no signs of slowing down, Idol released Dream Into It on Dark Horse Records in 2025, earning praise from fans and critics alike. In 2026, Idol will release Billy Idol Should Be Dead, the definitive documentary about his life and career.
ABOUT LIVE NATION STUDIOS
Live Nation Entertainment leads the industry bringing artists and their live shows to stages worldwide. Live Nation Studios (LNS) was created to help those same artists tell their stories. The Oscar, Emmy and Grammy-nominated division is home to artist-driven films and TV series dedicated to sharing those groundbreaking, musically-inspired stories for audiences across the globe. LNS is riding an incredible wave of success including Stray Kids: The DominATE Experience being the #1 movie world wide, Anderson .Paak's K-Pops! about to hit cinemas as an AMC Exclusive, Rolling Loud starring Owen Wilson and Matt Rife getting theatrical distribution this Summer and the upcoming Noah Kahan doc being picked-up as a Netflix Original and debuting at SXSW. Recent documentary premieres include Miley Cyrus' Something Beautiful, Billy Idol Should Be Dead, Ty Dolla $ign's Still Free TC, Dustin Lance Black's Rock Out, Becky G's Rebbeca and The French Montana Story: For Khadija. The latest scripted projects announced are New Years Rev—a Green Day story, as well as The Weeknd's Hurry Up Tomorrow. LNS' previous projects include Gaga: Five Foot Two, Moonage Daydream with David Bowie and the critically acclaimed A Star is Born.
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In celebration of the nomination, Idol is debuting the brand new trailer for his documentary Billy Idol Should Be Dead; watch/share it HERE.
The film debuts in theatres nationwide starting today following its premiere at LA's TLC Chinese Theatre. See HERE for screenings and tickets.
Billy Idol Should Be Dead traces the life and career of punk pioneer turned rock 'n' roll icon Billy Idol. Through never-before-seen archival and personal interviews with Idol, his family, peers and collaborators, the documentary digs deep into his emergence as a prototypical punk rocker, his meteoric rise as a global superstar in the MTV era and the myriad of challenges Idol had to overcome to not just survive, but to remain one of the most beloved figures in rock n roll, fifty years into his career.
Idol recently shared a clip discussing his departure from his early band Generation X, watch/share the clip HERE.
Additional info on the film is HERE, would love if you could share the trailer + Rock Hall news!
