Apple TV Plus has officially secured the rights to a documentary about the legendary rap trio, Beastie Boys, produced by Spike Jonze. The doc, titled Beastie Boys Story, will debut in IMAX theaters on April 3rd and will be available to stream on Apple TV Plus on April 24th. The project features the group's surviving members, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz and Mike "Mike D" Diamond, discussing their 40-year-friendship and their rise to fame along with founding Beasties member, the late Adam Hauch, who passed away in 2012 at the age of 47 after battling cancer. The "live" documentary was shot at Brooklyn's Kings Theater, and was a byproduct of the group's tour for their 2018 memoir, Beastie Boys Book.
Discussing their close relationship with Spike, Ad-Rock and Mike D stated, "There are some friends you have lunch with so many times over the years, you know their order. Spike is one of those friends. And even when you don’t recognize anything on the menu, he comes up with something good for the whole table. Like when we wondered what to do when our book comes out… then Spike placed his order: You will put on a show for the children.” Spike and the Beastie Boys have an extensive collaborative history: along with taking copious photos of the group over the years, Spike directed the music video for their 1994 hit “Sabotage" and contributed to the aforementioned Beastie Boys Book. Most recently, Spike and the Beasties announced a photo compilation book featuring over 200 shots of the group taken by Spike since day one, that is set to be released on March 17th of this year.
“I owe Beastie Boys a lot. One time, they pulled me out of a burning ship, and another time they helped me cheat on my college exam to get into Florida State,” Spike said. “So, it was a real privilege to get to reunite with them and help them tell their story.”