Metallica’s upcoming 3D movie now has an official title and theatrical release date: Metallica Through the Never will hit movie screens on August 9, the band revealed on their website today (January 15). The film, written and directed by Predators lensman Nimród Antal, will consist of concert footage shot during Metallica’s August 2012 performances at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena and will also feature a fictional narrative centered around actor Dane DeHaan (set to co-star in 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2).

According to the official statement, “DeHaan plays a young band crew member who is sent out on an urgent mission while the band is playing a rousing live set in front of a sold-out crowd and unexpectedly finds his world turned completely upside down.”

Through the Never will be the first flick distributed by the newly relaunched Picturehouse, the independent film marketing and distribution company that was founded in 2005 and subsequently shuttered in 2008. Picturehouse founder Bob Berney announced today that the company would reopen with him acting as CEO and his wife, Jeanne Berney, serving as president. “Nim and the band have made a film that really captures the spirit of Metallica and their millions of loyal fans,” Berney said. “It’s an entertaining genre film with a concert inside it, a fun ride featuring an exciting young actor, Dane DeHaan.”

Metallica wrote in a post on their website, “Like your friends in ‘Tallica, Picturehouse is truly independent, take big chances and often think outside of the box.” Drummer Lars Ulrich added, “Metallica’s way of doing things is to jump into unexplored creative endeavors with no safety net whatsoever.” (Sure, like online streaming.)

Ulrich continued, saying, “Putting this movie together for the last couple of years has been a pretty wild ride, and we’ve definitely done our share of flying without a net! Bringing Bob and Jeanne and the new Picturehouse team in at this point provides us with a much needed level of security for the distribution of the film. Their spirit of independence and desire to work outside the box is something we can relate to in every way, and this makes them both a welcome addition and a natural fit in the Metallica family.”

In a recent interview with Classic Rock (via Blabbermouth), the Danish drummer compared Through the Never to Led Zeppelin’s 1976 concert movie, The Song Remains the Same, which included fantasy sequences starring each member of the English rock band. “There are four members in Led Zeppelin, four members in Metallica, it’s a full-length movie, and there’s a lot in this film that does not take place onstage,” Ulrich said. “The major difference is that the stuff that takes place offstage in the Metallica movie does not feature any members of Metallica. It’s two separate worlds — a Metallica show and a story that unfolds in a parallel universe — and at some point they intertwine.” Back in September, YVRshoots.com uploaded photos of a riot scene filmed in Vancouver for Through the Never that featured, “400 extras as rioters and riot police, things on fire and riders on horses.”

This won’t be the heavy metal icons’ first foray into cinema. Aside from last year’s Quebec Magnetic concert DVD, the foursome also appeared in the 2004 documentary Some Kind of Monster, which focused on the fallout of longtime bassist Jason Newsted’s decision to quit Metallica in 2001 and the long-building resentment between the group’s remaining members.