‘Dio: Dreamers Never Die’ Doc Gets Worldwide Cinema Release Date
Dio: Dreamers Never Die, a new documentary about heavy metal icon Ronnie James Dio, will air in cinemas worldwide on Sept. 28 and Oct. 2.
The film, executive produced by Dio’s widow and longtime manager Wendy Dio, will cover the fierce frontman’s 50-year tenure, including stints in 1950s doo-wop group the Vegas Kings (later Ronnie and the Rumblers and then Ronnie and the Red Caps), ‘60s blues-rock band Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath (later Heaven & Hell) and the titular Dio. The rocker cemented his reputation as one of metal’s most powerful singers and captivating frontmen, responsible for some of the genre’s most enduring anthems, before dying of stomach cancer in May 2010.
Dio: Dreamers Never Die will include previously unseen footage and personal photos, as well as intimate scenes with the singer’s friends, family and rock ’n’ roll colleagues. Along with Wendy, the film will feature Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Glenn Hughes, Vinny Appice, Lita Ford, Rob Halford, Sebastian Bach, Jack Black and Eddie Trunk.
Each of the two live cinema events will also include a handpicked selection of documentary outtakes, making both screenings exclusive to in-person attendees. Tickets go on sale on Aug. 24 and can be purchased at the Dreamers Never Die website.
Wendy Dio told UCR last year that the first six Dio albums would be reissued soon "with lots of bonus [material], lots of live stuff, [things] people have never heard before." (A super deluxe edition of the band's debut, Holy Diver, came out last month.) "I have a whole vault full of hundreds and hundreds of tapes. It’s taking a long time to go through it," she explained. "Obviously, Ronnie was a perfectionist, so I’m not going to ever put anything out that I don’t think Ronnie would approve. But we are going through all of this stuff to see if there’s interesting stuff that fans would like to hear."