Harry Styles has invited one of the buzziest documentary filmmakers on the market behind the curtain of his historic Madison Square Garden residency.
John Wilson, of current indie box office surprise “The History of Concrete” and HBO’s “How To with John Wilson,” has been rolling cameras on Styles at MSG since August, two sources with knowledge of the project said.
Wilson is capturing footage for a doc expected to be a hybrid of live performances and a glimpse into Styles’ world. One source described it as featuring authentic human stories of everyone involved in the tour —from the singer and his fans to countless others behind the scenes.
The project is produced by Universal Pictures Content Group, Peanut World Pictures and Styles. UPCG will own global rights to the film. Though distribution plans are still being worked out, insiders said the doc may be positioned for a theatrical release via Universal.
Styles is currently in the midst of the largest single-engagement residency ever at MSG, part of his “Together, Together” tour. It began in late August and is set to run through the end of October. The show has created plenty of viral moments, and provided ample short-shorts. Reps for the singer, Wilson and Universal had no immediate comment on the matter. Social media lit up over the weekend thanks to a fan-snapped photo of Wilson trailing styles with a camera.
Wilson’s got a knack for interrogating the mundane, as well as highlighting the absurdity of humans and the levers that make them work. He may seem an out-of-the-box choice for a glossy pop music documentary, but not if you’re paying attention to current sensibilities. Look at Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, whose Elizabeth Holmes project “You Can See Everything” is burning up the specialty box office this weekend. Fielder started in the realm of absurdist comedy, and with the Holmes project moves into a world of watercooler high crimes and compelling fourth-wall breaking. Billie Eilish recruited “Titanic ” and “Avatar” mastermind James Cameron to direct her own theatrical concert opus “Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour,” which was released in theaters this summer.
Wilson began his career directing music videos. He is repped by UTA.