Amazon Acquires Grateful Dead Documentary

Amazon Studios has acquired the Grateful Dead documentary Long Strange Trip to stream to Amazon Prime Video subscribers in May.

Amazon said will stream the six-part documentary, from director Amir Bar-Lev and executive-produced by Martin Scorsese, which probes the 30-year career of the legendary rock band, on May 26 in the United States and United Kingdom with more territories to be announced. The four-hour doc will premiere at Sundance Film Festival, according to the service.

“The story of the Grateful Dead is that of music and culture of the 20th Century,” Joe Lewis, Head of Comedy and Drama, Amazon Studios, said in a release. “Told with vast scope and an unprecedented cast of real life characters, Amir has taken advantage of this larger than life canvas to make an era-defining musical portrait that we can’t wait to bring to audiences everywhere.”

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.