Beloved and controversial Hollywood actors and musicians have all been a favorite topic for documentarians as of late and now the legendary Back to the Future star Michael J. Fox is next in line. Apple Original Films acquired a new, untitled nonfiction feature film on the life and career of one of the most cherished actors of his time. A big name is at the helm too with An Inconvenient Truth's Davis Guggenheim directing. The film is currently in production in Vancouver, New York, and Los Angeles.
Fox's life story is one gift-wrapped for a feel-good documentary. Told from Fox's own perspective, the film runs through his humble beginnings as an undersized Canadian boy from an army base to his Hollywood superstardom in the 1980s and beyond. Rather than simply recount his journey to Hollywood, the film will also get more intimate and follow his personal life including the tragic Parkinson's disease diagnosis that derailed his career at 29. Using documentary, archival, and scripted elements, Guggenheim is diving deeper than ever before into the actor's life with unprecedented access to him and his family. The logline of the film sums it up, saying "With a mix of adventure and romance, comedy and drama, watching the film will feel like… well, like a Michael J. Fox movie."
Fox of course launched his career into the stratosphere with Back to the Future, leading to two sequels and roles in films like Teen Wolf and Bright Lights, Big City as well as TV series like Family Ties and Spin City. Following his Parkinson's diagnosis though, Fox has continued to soldier on in spite of the grim outlook for his career. He established The Michael J. Fox Foundation which, to this day, continues the fight against the incurable disease. Moreover, his dedication to continuing working in the field he loves with recurring roles in The Good Wife and Designated Survivor as well as frequent convention appearances to bring smiles to faces only solidified him as a fan-favorite actor.
Concordia studio is producing this deep dive on the life of Fox with Guggenheim, Annetta Marion (Oprah’s Master Class), Will Cohen (Divide and Conquer), and Jonathan King (Spotlight, Green Book) on as individual producers. Laurene Powell Jobs (Boys State, A Thousand Cuts), Jonathan Silberberg (Time, Boys State), Nicole Stott (Time, Boys State) will all executive produce alongside Nelle Fortenberry (Adventures of an Incurable Optimist), the longtime production partner of Fox. The film will be the second collaboration for Concordia and Apple following their Emmy-winning doc Boys State.
Guggenheim owns one Oscar for his work on the Al Gore documentary An Inconvenient Truth, but he boasts a deep catalog of critically acclaimed documentaries. He shares that Boys State Emmy with much of the crew joining him for the Fox documentary and has received high marks in the past for films like Waiting for Superman and He Named Me Malala. While he hasn't sat in the director's chair since 2020, he has since been involved on the production end for docs like Aftershock and Mija.
Given the talent on board and the strong source material, this documentary on Fox's life is definitely one to watch out for in the near future. Currently, there's no release window for the film, but stay tuned here on Collider for updates.