The documentary chronicling the life of legendary vocalist Ronnie James Dio is coming out this year. According to Ronnie's widow and longtime manager Wendy Dio in an interview with Lucas Gordon (as transcribed by Blabbermouth), the first cut of the documentary is complete and features personalities like Rob Halford and Jack Black. No definitive release date has been set aside from "sometime this year."
"I saw the first cut of it. It was very emotional. It's very different from [Dio's autobiography]. 'Cause the book finishes in 1986, with Ronnie playing Madison Square Garden. But the documentary goes all the way through his life till the end. And it was very emotional. I was watching it with my publicist and a person from BMG, who are funding the documentary. And we all cried. It was very emotional. But it's really interesting and really good.
"Rob Halford is great in it, talking about stories. Lita Ford [and] Jack Black [are also in it]. Eddie Trunk and Mick Wall [author of Dio's autobiography] both kind of narrated it and everything. I'm very pleased with it. I don't know exactly when it's gonna come out [this] year, but it'll be out [this] year."
Record label BMG has also authorized the documentary, with BMG acting as the financier and executive producer of the film. The documentary "will be the definitive Ronnie James Dio documentary, incorporating never-before-seen archival footage and photos from his personal archives. The film will offer intimate scenes with his closest peers, friends and family as they bring us inside the life of one of rock and roll's true heroes."