HBO acquires U.S. TV rights to documentary Believer, following Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds
HBO DOCUMENTARY FILMS ACQUIRES U.S. TV RIGHTS TO BELIEVER FROM LIVE NATION PRODUCTIONS AHEAD OF ITS SUNDANCE PREMIERE
Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds Supports The LGBTQ Community And Confronts the Mormon Church
HBO Documentary Films has acquired the U.S. TV rights to the powerful documentary Believer, from Live Nation Productions. Directed by Don Argott (DeLorean, Batman & Bill, The Art of the Steal), the film follows Mormon Dan Reynolds, frontman for the Grammy Award-winning band Imagine Dragons, as he takes on a new mission to explore how the Mormon Church treats its LGBTQ members. With the rising suicide rate amongst teens in the state of Utah; his concern with the church’s policies sends him on an unexpected path of acceptance and change.
Believer will have its world premiere in the Documentary Premieres section of the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, and will debut this summer on HBO.
The film documents this past year of Reynolds’ life during the process of organizing the first-ever LoveLoud Festival concert in Orem, Utah; to benefit such gay rights organizations as GLAAD and the Trevor Project, among others. While BELIEVER takes a broader look at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ treatment of LGBTQ members, it also focuses on the suicide rate in the community, which has skyrocketed in the last decade.
Reynolds hopes BELIEVER will continue to force discussion of gay rights within Mormonism on a larger scale.
“LoveLoud reached 20,000 people in Utah, which is really small compared to the number of people who need to be reached,” he notes. “I think the reason the film needs to happen is because I feel like this is a way that nobody can turn their heads away.”
Believer centers on Reynolds, Aja Volkman, his wife and fellow musician, and Tyler Glenn, frontman for Neon Trees, among others.
Hans Zimmer composed the score for BELIEVER and contributed to one of the two original songs Reynolds wrote for the film.
BELIEVER is the second film HBO has acquired from Live Nation Productions, following Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis (Our Friends), which debuted on HBO in February 2017.
BELIEVER is a production of Live Nation Productions; produced by Heather Parry, Robert Reynolds, Sheena M. Joyce; executive produced by Michael Rapino, Dan Reynolds, Don Argott, Jeff Ciabattari, Willie Mercer, Adam Milano; directed by Don Argott.
