Bono has never done anything by halves, although his detractors might argue that he tends to outstay his welcome.
In late 2022, when he published his memoir Stories of Surrender, he seemed to be everywhere – a publicity drive on steroids. The book comfortably lived up to the hype, though. Even for those who felt we knew all there was to know about the man, it was a revelation.
It’s a beautiful day for U2 fans, as Apple has unveiled the first trailer for “Bono: Stories of Surrender,” the filmed version of the band’s frontman Bono’s one-man stage show as directed by Andrew Dominik.
For Dominik, this is the filmmaker’s first movie since 2022’s “Blonde,” the critically panned Marilyn Monroe biopic starring Ana de Armas. But the film is also set to premiere as a special screening at Cannes before it debuts on Apple TV+.
The film debuts on the streamer on May 30 and will also be available via the Apple Vision Pro headset and Apple Immersive Video. It is the first feature-length film made available in the 180-degree VR format, featuring both 8K picture and spatial audio.
“Stories of Surrender” is based on Bono’s memoir “Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story,” with which he had an accompanying book tour and theater tour made into a one-man show “Stories of Surrender: An Evening of Words, Music and Some Mischief…” Or, as he says in the trailer, his “quarter-man” show, a dig at him saying these are the “tall tales of a short rock star” (he’s 5-foot-6-inches tall).
Shot entirely in black and white, “Stories of Surrender” details Bono’s life’s journey, his relationships with his wife, his parents, friends, and his faith, and he discusses some of his more personal stories from being a rock star and an activist. The film was shot from the Beacon Theatre shows (it’s not the Sphere, but it’ll do) and features Bono performing stripped-down versions of some of his most famous U2 songs like “Beautiful Day” and “City of Blinding Lights,” as seen in the trailer.
The film is a production of RadicalMedia and Plan B Entertainment. Jon Kamen and Dave Sirulnick (“Summer of Soul,” “Hamilton,” “David Byrne’s American Utopia”) produce alongside Academy Award-winning Plan B Entertainment’s Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner (upcoming “F1,” “Moonlight,” “12 Years a Slave”). Bono executive produces with Jennifer Pitcher (“Kiss The Future”) and Kelly McNamara (“V-U2 an Immersive Concert Film at Sphere Las Vegas”).
