Epix Grabs ‘Laurel Canyon’ Documentary

Epix has greenlit the feature-length documentary Laurel Canyon, which the network said “will pull back the curtain on a mythical world and provide an up-close look at the lives of the musicians who inhabited it.” It will premiere late in 2019.

The film celebrates the music of Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, The Eagles, The Mamas and the Papas, Carole King, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, James Taylor, The Doors, Frank Zappa and others with ties to the canyon in the heart of Los Angeles.

Alison Ellwood (History of the Eagles) will direct.

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“We’re thrilled to be working with Alison and the entire filmmaking team on one of the most dynamic chapters in music history…and as an unapologetic fan of the subject matter, I’m honored that this documentary will have a home on Epix,” said Michael Wright, Epix president.

Laurel Canyon is executive produced by Frank Marshall, The Kennedy/Marshall Company; Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey, Amblin Television; Craig Kallman and Mark Pinkus, Warner Music Group; Alex Gibney, Stacey Offman and Richard Perello, Jigsaw Productions; and Jeff Pollack. The film is produced by Ryan Suffern, The Kennedy/Marshall Company, and Erin Edeiken, Jigsaw Productions.

“Though a little too young to have experienced the Laurel Canyon music scene firsthand, the songs created in that magical place made it onto the radio and traveled over 6,000 miles to where I was growing up in the UK,” said Ellwood. “The music is the soundtrack of my youth; each song evokes memories becoming timeless in my consciousness. I am thrilled to be a part of this talented team assembled to tell this incredible story.”

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.