EXCLUSIVE: As Bono today premieres his Andrew Dominik-directed Apple docu Bono: Stories of Surrender, Deadline can reveal he’s not the only rock icon making noise on the Croisette. Also present in an underground capacity is the Red Hot Chili Peppers. A documentary on the band’s formative years is being quietly shopped, with secret screenings by Submarine Entertainment.
The fact that the surviving members of the band participated on camera in this documentary is surprising, since they’ve turned down many offers in the past. That might be because of the shrapnel and deaths from drug use. That dark side of the music business is part of their overall tapestry to go along with 120 million albums sold and membership in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. More refreshing is the moment they transformed from L.A. misfits to genre defying music pioneers, first under the name Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem. They had only one song they played at their very first show that they had written that same day called Out in LA. The crowd went crazy and the club promoter ran over afterwards and asked if they could come back the next week with two songs. They did just that and the band was officially launched. They demolished in their first appearances and quickly signed a 7-album deal.
There are two invite-only rough cut screenings for buyers and festival organizers, and the first was Wednesday. The second one is Sunday 4:15 at the Olympia.
The film centers on the deep childhood bond between Anthony Kiedis, Flea, and original guitarist Hillel Slovak—charting their early experimentation, the band’s unruly formation, and the sonic chaos that defined their first three albums. The film features exclusive new interviews with Kiedis, Flea, John Frusciante, Jack Irons and George Clinton, and others. It was that approach by director Ben Feldman that provoked the band to lean into this. The comp is Becoming Led Zeppelin.
Submarine is screening the rough cut for select buyers in both NY and LA following the secret Cannes screenings. A festival premiere for the film will be planned for either Fall 2025 or early 2026. Visions of the band in that outdoor street venue at Toronto makes one possible landing place for the pic.
Submarine has scored deals in the past with Cannes sneaks of the docus Todd Miller’s Apollo 11 and Todd Haynes’ Velvet Underground. Pic is produced by Marc D’Agostino and Asta Entertainment in association with Polygram Entertainment. James Slovak is co-producer, Polygram’s David Blackman an Executive Producer along with Dan Braun and Josh Braun of Submarine, and the latter are representing world sales.
