Sundance: Grateful Dead Doc 'Long Strange Trip' Goes to Amazon

Amir Bar-Lev directed the six-part documentary, debuting May 26 on Amazon Prime Video and with Martin Scorsese among the executive producers.

Amazon is ready for a Long Strange Trip, acquiring the Grateful Dead documentary ahead of its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.

Directed by Amir Bar-Lev, the doc charts the rise of the band from its roots in the Bay Area’s vibrant 1960s counterculture to the top of the rock-and-roll charts. Encapsulating the group's quintessential character and three decades of legendary concerts-cum-spiritual experiences, the film includes archival stills, film footage, audio recordings and rare live tracks — much of which have never been seen or heard.

Long Strange Trip will debut May 26 on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S. and U.K. as a six-part documentary, with additional territories to be announced.

Eric Eisner, Nick Koskoff, Alex Blavatnik produced and financed the film. Additional producers include Justin Kreutzmann and Ken Dornstein. Martin Scorsese, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Rick Yorn, Tom Mangan, Alicia Sams, Andy Heller and Sandy Heller, as well as Grateful Dead members Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, are executive producers.

Band members Kreutzmann, Hart and Weir, as well as Trixie Garcia will be in attendance at the film's world premiere at Sundance.

"I've always admired the spirit and creativity of the Grateful Dead," said Scorsese. "They are revolutionary artists who forever changed the world of touring and recording live music. They were a cultural force — a lifestyle, that continue to influence new generations of fans. This film will entertain and educate audiences about one of the most innovative and groundbreaking American bands of the 20th century."

Weir commented: "Over several decades a group of guys hung together making music in a group that was way tighter and lasted much longer than most marriages. Here's the movie...." Hart added of the film, "Stranger than fiction — a user's guide for an impossible journey."

The deal was negotiated by WME Global on behalf of the filmmakers.