Netflix is tearing up its music documentary playbook with an incendiary new project: the first definitive film about The Stooges, the band that invented punk rock before the world was ready for it.
Slated for release in early 2026, the untitled documentary promises to be as raw and uncompromising as Iggy Pop’s 1969 stage dives – complete with never-before-seen footage of the band’s most destructive performances and the personal demons that nearly destroyed them.
The announcement comes as punk culture experiences a global resurgence, with Gen Z fans discovering The Stooges’ influence on everyone from the Sex Pistols to Jack White. “This isn’t just a nostalgia trip,” said Netflix Music VP Lisa Nishimura. “
It’s about how four misfits from Michigan accidentally created a musical revolution while barely surviving themselves.”
At the heart of the documentary is Iggy Pop (born James Osterberg), the shirtless, peanut butter-smearing madman whose primal screams and self-destructive performances redefined rock frontmanship.
Rare home movies from 1968-1973 show his transformation from a shy drummer to the most dangerous man in music – including footage of the infamous Cincinnati Pop Festival where he cut himself with broken glass mid-show.
The film will also spotlight the Asheton brothers – guitarist Ron and drummer Scott – whose raw, minimalist playing created the blueprint for punk rock. Never-before-heard studio outtakes reveal how tracks like “I Wanna Be Your Dog” and “Search and Destroy” emerged from what critics initially called “three-chord noise.” Archival interviews with the late Scott Asheton (who died in 2014) provide heartbreaking context about the band’s struggles.
Perhaps most shocking are the newly uncovered police reports and venue contracts that detail The Stooges’ most notorious shows.
One 1970 Detroit gig ended with Iggy setting the stage on fire while Ron Asheton played through the flames. “They weren’t just performing,” said director Brett Morgen (Moonage Daydream). “They were committing sonic assault.”
Netflix secured unprecedented access to the private archives of the late Danny Fields, the Elektra Records A&R man who first signed The Stooges.
This includes Polaroids of Iggy’s bloodied chest after shows and reel-to-reel recordings of the band arguing with producers about their “unlistenable” sound.
The documentary’s third act focuses on the band’s implosion and resurrection. After being dropped by their label and descending into drug addiction, The Stooges unexpectedly reformed in 2003 – leading to a Grammy-winning comeback album and tours where 60-year-old Iggy still outperformed musicians half his age.
Music historians interviewed for the film argue that The Stooges’ initial failure was actually their triumph. “They were so ahead of their time that the world needed a decade to catch up,”
said punk author Legs McNeil. “Without The Stooges, there’s no Ramones, no Nirvana, no modern rock as we know it.”
Controversially, the film explores how Iggy’s 1970s heroin addiction may have saved his life. “The drugs forced him to quit The band
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