Apple’s streaming service green lit Black & Blues: The Colorful Ballad of Louis Armstrong. The documentary film promises a “definitive” look at the musician’s life and legacy built on the filmmakers’ access to never-before-seen materials.
It’ll be the latest production of Ron Howard’s Imagine Documentaries, along with Apple Original Films.
Apple TV+ promises in-depth Louis Armstrong documentary
Louis Armstrong was one of the founding fathers of jazz. He’s also been called the first pop star, and he was a cultural ambassador for the United States beloved by millions worldwide. But he also received criticism for not doing more to support the civil rights movement. The documentary will explore all these aspects of the musician.
It’s being made with the support of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, which means the the filmmakers have access to a previously unreleased archival materials. That includes hundreds of hours of audio recordings, film footage, photographs, personal diaries and a lifetime’s worth of ephemera. Apple says the goal is to make “the first significant documentary dedicated entirely to his life.”
Apple TV+ has a first-look deal with Imagine Documentaries, which is run by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. Previously, the agreement resulted in Dads, directed by by Bryce Dallas Howard, Ron Howard’s daughter. And the same goes for Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10, which won an Emmy.
The production company is currently working on The Supermodels about fashion icons of the ‘90s. And a documentary for the 70th anniversary of the Peanuts comic strip. Both will appear on Apple TV+.
