John Battsek, producer of the Oscar-winning Searching For Sugar Man, is making another music-related documentary. His latest project follows X Japan, a metal band that’s massive in Asia, but has only recently started to make similarly inroads into the North American market. Formed in 1982, X Japan has a bit of a tumultuous history that involves several breakups and the deaths of two of its members, but it’s overcome those obstacles to sell about 30 million albums and singles to date. Frontman Yoshiki is particularly iconic, having recently inspired Blood Red Dragon, a comic book from power duo Stan Lee and Todd McFarlane.
Stephen Kijak (Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, Stones In Exile) will direct, and production is set to begin Oct. 11, when X Japan plays Madison Square Garden.