'Willie Nelson And Family' Docuseries To Capture Country Legend In His Element

Willie Nelson and his family will be the subjects of a new documentary series, appropriately titled Willie Nelson and Family. At the helm of the series for Blackbird Presents and Sight Unseens Pictures are Emmy and Grammy award-winning filmmaker Thom Zimny (Springsteen On Broadway) and Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning filmmaker Oren Moverman (The Dinner) who will both co-direct the series.

Nelson and his family have provided full access to filmmakers as they capture the story of The Red Headed Stranger’s seven-decade career, including a dive into his extensive musical archives. Production of the series—which currently has no release date—is already underway in Nelson’s home of Austin as well as Maui, Nashville, Los Angeles, and New York.

“Words like ‘honored,’ ‘excited,’ and ‘humbled’ don’t come close to describing the way we feel about being entrusted with telling Willie’s story,” Zimny and Moverman said in a statement. “And what a story it is! We are celebrating the music, the career, the long road, the family, friends, and history. But, more than anything, we are piecing together a narrative — one never before seen in its entirety — about an extraordinary man with a unique ability to bring people together; folks of all races, orientations, genders, political ideologies, and musical leanings. These days, we sure could use the healing powers of Willie Nelson.”

Willie Nelson, alongside his sons Lukas and Micah, is preparing to hit the road on the 2021 iteration of the traveling Outlaw Music Festival. Nelson and his boys remained active throughout the pandemic from their Luck, Texas compound as they organized virtual festivals, taped occasional performances, and even prodded President Joe Biden to make 4/20 a federal holiday. Willie even assisted in vaccination efforts across the country by urging his fans to get vaccinated and teaming up with the Ad Council for a PSA using his song “I’ll Be Seeing You“. Willie Nelson released his 71st album, a tribute to Frank Sinatra titled That’s Life, in February.

[H/T Rolling Stone]