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EXCLUSIVE: Apple Original Films has completed production on Bono: Stories of Surrender, a documentary film about the making of the U2 singer and songwriter. Directed by The Assassination of Jesse James helmer Andrew Dominik, the film is a visual exploration of Bono’s one-man show by the same name that was inspired by his bestselling memoir Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story.
The film will premiere globally on Friday, May 30 on Apple TV+. That day will see the release of an immersive version of the film to premiere on Apple Vision Pro. That marks the first feature length film available in Apple Immersive Video, a knock-your-socks-off version recorded in 8K with Spatial Audio to produce a 180-degree video that places viewers onstage with Bono, and at the center of his story. That immersive film will be available only on Vision Pro, and according to Apple, the initiative is a key element that is in keeping with Bono’s enduring commitment to innovation. Since U2’s earliest days, Bono and the band have consistently pushed boundaries and embraced new technologies to forge deeper and unexpected connections with the band’s global audience.
The docu reimagines Bono’s critically-acclaimed one-man stage show, Stories of Surrender: An Evening of Words, Music and Some Mischief…, as he dives deep into a remarkable life and the family, friends, and faith that have challenged and sustained him. In the show, he reveals personal stories about his journey as a son, father, husband, activist and rock star. Included is previously unseen footage from Bono’s Beacon Theatre shows, where he performs many of the iconic U2 songs that have shaped his life and legacy.
RadicalMedia’s Jon Kamen and Dave Sirulnick (Summer of Soul, Hamilton and David Byrne’s American Utopia are producing alongside Plan B Entertainment’s Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, the team behind the upcoming Pitt-starrer F1, Moonlight and 12 Years a Slave. Bono is executive producer with Jennifer Pitcher (Kiss The Future) and Kelly McNamara (V-U2 an Immersive Concert Film at Sphere Las Vegas).
An updated and abridged paperback version of the memoir Bono: Stories of Surrender will be released concurrently with the documentary film. The new version has been refined to mirror the arc of his one-man show and features a film tie-in book cover and new introduction by the author.
Before he became the iconic humanitarian and rock star, Bono grew up in Dublin, Ireland as Paul David Hewson. He and U2 bandmates Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr coalesced into a punk rock-inspired band in 1976 after the 14-year old drummer Mullen posted an ad on the school bulletin board which the other three answered. The enduring quartet released its debut album Boy in 1980, and that put U2 on a path to headline stadiums around the world for the next four and one-half decades. U2 has sold over 175 million records and won 22 Grammys. A longtime activist in the fight against AIDS and extreme poverty, Bono is also the co-founder of ONE and (RED). For his music and activism, he has been awarded the Freedom of the City of Dublin, the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, France’s Legion of Honor and an honorary British knighthood.
For Apple, Bono: Stories of Surrender becomes the highest profile entry among other Apple documentaries on Fleetwood Mac, Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, Billie Eilish and STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie, which won four Emmy Awards. It is a step forward for Apple Vision Pro, a disruptive but pricey disruptive technological advancement that needs original immersive content to catch on with consumers.
