Netflix is turning up the volume on music documentaries with its latest high-profile project: a definitive, warts-and-all film about Aerosmith, one of rock’s most electrifying and enduring bands. According to multiple industry sources, the streaming giant has secured exclusive access to the band’s archives for what promises to be the most revealing look yet at the group’s turbulent, triumphant five-decade career.
The untitled documentary, expected to premiere in late 2025, will trace Aerosmith’s journey from their scruffy 1970s beginnings in Boston to their ascent as America’s answer to the Rolling Stones—complete with the same level of decadence, drama, and near-destruction. Insiders describe it as “part rock epic, part cautionary tale, and part celebration of survival.”
At the heart of the story are Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the so-called “Toxic Twins,” whose creative chemistry and volatile friendship fueled both Aerosmith’s greatest hits and its most infamous meltdowns. The film will reportedly feature new, intimate interviews with both musicians, alongside bandmates Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, and Joey Kramer—many reflecting for the first time on the toll of their rock-star excesses.
What sets this project apart, sources say, is Netflix’s commitment to unfiltered storytelling. The documentary won’t shy away from the band’s darkest chapters: the heroin addiction that nearly killed Tyler and Perry in the late ’70s, the bitter breakup that sidelined them for years, and the humiliating commercial slump that followed. Rare backstage footage and personal home videos will show the chaos behind the anthems.
But it’s not all grit—the film will also highlight Aerosmith’s improbable second act. After rehab and a 1984 reunion, the band clawed back to superstardom with MTV hits like “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)” and “Janie’s Got a Gun,” then cemented their legacy with 1998’s Armageddon power ballad “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.” The doc will explore how they reinvented themselves without losing their edge.
Netflix is betting big on the project, tapping Oscar-winning director Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) to helm. Guggenheim’s team has spent months digging through vaults for unseen material, including scrapped studio sessions and footage from the band’s infamously debauched 1977-78 “Rocks Tour.” A production insider teased, “Wait until you see the outtakes from the Draw the Line recording sessions. It’s a miracle they made it out alive.”
The timing is strategic. With Aerosmith’s “Peace Out” farewell tour (repeatedly delayed by Tyler’s vocal injuries) wrapping this year, the documentary will serve as both a tribute and a postscript. It’s also part of Netflix’s push to dominate music docs after successes like The Beatles: Get Back and Springsteen on Broadway.
Fans can expect fresh perspectives from collaborators and rivals. Slash, who toured with Aerosmith in the ’80s, reportedly sat for interviews, as did Run-DMC, whose 1986 cover of “Walk This Way” reintroduced the band to a new generation. Even Eminem—who sampled “Dream On” for his 2002 hit “Sing for the Moment”—may appear.
One unresolved question: How much will the film address the band’s recent tensions? Kramer’s legal battles over drumming duties and Tyler’s controversial comments about retirement have fueled headlines. Producers are said to be walking a tightrope between honesty and diplomacy.
Musically, the documentary will spotlight Aerosmith’s genre-blurring influence, from blues-rock (“Sweet Emotion”) to rap-rock hybrids. Archivists are restoring never-heard demo tapes, including an early version of “Toys in the Attic” with alternate lyrics.
For younger viewers, the film might serve as a revelation. “Aerosmith wasn’t just a ‘greatest hits’ band—they were dangerous,” says Rolling Stone editor Jason Fine, a consultant on the project. “This isn’t a sanitized legacy piece. It’s about how they kept pushing limits, for better or worse.”
The band’s camp is cautiously optimistic. “We’ve said ‘no’ to docs for years because they felt superficial,” said a longtime Aerosmith manager. “But Netflix convinced us they’d tell the real story—the fights, the overdoses, the comebacks. It’s raw.”
Expect a marketing blitz as the release nears, with tie-in vinyl reissues and a possible companion podcast. Netflix may also drop a teaser during Aerosmith’s final tour dates this fall.
Will this be the definitive Aerosmith chronicle? Early signs suggest yes. As one crew member put it: “After seeing the footage, even the band was like, ‘Holy shit—we did all that?’”
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