Comedy iconSteve Martincan add another feather to his cap — he’s now a bona fide elder statesman of the industry, soon to become the subject of a documentary. The two-part film will be directed by Academy Award-winnerMorgan Neville, co-produced by A24, and released on Apple TV+.
A legendary multi-hyphenate, Martin has achieved the pinnacle of success not only as a standup comedian but also as aSaturday Night Livehost and a movie star. He published a memoir about his career as a comic, titledBorn Standing Up, and will soon release his second book,Number One Is Walking: My Life in the Movies and Other Diversions. He can currently be seen in the hit Hulu seriesOnly Murders in the Building, which reunites him with his long-time palMartin Short, and also starsSelena Gomez. Martin is otherwise best known for films such asThree Amigos;Plains, Trains and Automobiles;Parenthood; theFather of the Bridefilms; and theCheaper by the Dozenseries. A noted banjo player as well, he’s the winner of multiple Grammys, an Emmy, and an honorary Oscar.
Neville is an interesting (albeit unexpected) choice to direct a film about Martin. He won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for his tremendous 2013 film20 Feet From Stardom, which put the spotlight on the backup singers of iconic musicians. He also directedThey’ll Love Me When I’m Dead, a 2018 documentary about the ill-fated production ofOrson Welles’The Other Side of the Wind. In the same year, he released theFred RogersdocumentaryWon’t You Be My Neighbor?Most recently, Neville attracted slight controversy for utilizing artificial intelligence to resurrect the late chefAnthony Bourdain’s voice in his 2021 documentaryRoadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain.
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Neville clearly chooses diverse subjects, but they’re all entertainment industry-adjacent. His film will join an Apple slate that includes the four-partEarvin “Magic” JohnsondocuseriesThey Call Me Magic, the Emmy-nominated documentaryBillie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, the Critics’ Choice Documentary Award-nominated filmThe Velvet Underground, the upcoming documentary honoring iconic Academy Award-winning actor and filmmakerSidney Poitier,Sidney, and the recently announced feature film about the life of beloved actor and advocateMichael J. Fox.
A24 is best known as the indie outfit behind hit films such as this year’sEverything Everywhere All at Onceand the Best Picture-winningMoonlight. In the non-fiction space, the company has released the Oscar-winning documentaryAmy,Noah BaumbachandJake Paltrow’sDe Palma, and most recently, theVal KilmerdocumentaryVal. You can watch our interview with Martin here, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
