IMAX Corporation and Picturehouse have announced that “Metallica Through The Never”, filmmaker Nimród Antal‘s captivating 3D movie featuring one of music’s most enduring and iconic bands, will be digitally remastered into the immersive IMAX 3D format and released wide in North America exclusively into IMAX theatres for a one-week engagement starting Friday, September 27. The film will expand into additional theatres on October 4.

Starring METALLICA, a cast of thousands of their fans and breakout star Dane DeHaan (“Chronicle”, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”), “Metallica Through The Never” is written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Nimród Antal (“Predators”, “Kontroll”) and produced by former IMAX film producer Charlotte Huggins (“Journey To The Center Of The Earth”). The film marries groundbreaking footage and editing techniques with a compelling narrative, in which a band crew member (played by DeHaan) is sent out on a mission during METALLICA‘s roaring live set in front of a sold-out arena. While on this mission, he unexpectedly has his life turned completely upside down.

“IMAX! It doesn’t get bigger or cooler than that!” said Lars Ulrich, who formed METALLICA in 1981 together with James Hetfield. “For four guys in a rock band of average height, to get a chance to unleash their 3D film on IMAX screens the size of buildings across the country is a mind-blowing thought. ‘Hey look, Mom, I’m 50 feet tall (finally!)’ There is no better way to experience film and when you throw in the spectacle of music and sound this should amount to an unprecedented, unique and truly next level experience.”

“The totally immersive experience of IMAX 3D is the perfect complement to METALLICA‘s in-your-face, big and loud performance style,” said Bob Berney, CEO of Picturehouse. “The combination of the band’s music and a strong storyline create a unique cinematic experience for die-hard fans and general moviegoers alike.”

“Nimród Antal and METALLICA have done a tremendous job capturing the essence of the band’s commanding live performances and have created a visual and aural cinematic spectacle,” said Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Entertainment. “We believe the power of The IMAX Experience will deliver for METALLICA fans and ensure they feel every part of this journey.”

The IMAX 3D release of “Metallica Through The Never” will be digitally remastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience with proprietary IMAX DMR (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX’s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

Speaking to Collider.com, DeHaan stated about “Metallica Through The Never”: “It’s, in a way, like a 3D concert movie but there’s also this narrative that ties together all the footage. It’s gonna be, first of all, really rock and roll and really ‘METALLICA,’ for lack of a better word; they don’t hold back at all. But during the concert, I basically go on this trip as a roadie for the band and I pretty much literally have to go through hell and back to take it back to them, and all of this is going on during the concert, so it all ties together really kind of beautifully and uniquely. It’s unlike anything that I’ve ever seen before; it’s almost like a concert movie meets ‘The Wall’ meets METALLICA.”

Ulrich cited the 1976 LED ZEPPELIN movie “The Song Remains The Same” as a major influence on “Metallica Through The Never”, explaining to Classic Rock, “There are four members in LED ZEPPELIN, four members in METALLICA, it’s a full-length movie, and there’s a lot in this film that does not take place onstage. The major difference is that the stuff that takes place offstage in the METALLICA movie does not feature any members of METALLICA. It’s two separate worlds — a METALLICA show and a story that unfolds in a parallel universe — and at some point they intertwine.”
The ZEPPELIN film interspersed concert footage with fantasy sequences starring each member of the group.

The concert sequences for METALLICA‘s movie were shot last August at two shows in Vancouver, Canada.

Ulrich told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that making a movie has been one of the most daunting challenges METALLICA has ever taken on. “It’s sort of fun, it’s intimidating, it’s a little overwhelming, to be honest, because it’s a whole different league,” he said. “You know, when we go down to [the METALLICA headquarters in San Rafael, California] and record and make a record, it’s kind of — you know, we can manage the size of that. [laughs] When you’re talking about doing, like, a 3D movie that you’re gonna, like, play all over the world, that’s a little bit of a bigger undertaking, so obviously we’re treading a little more carefully.”