Sly Stone Documentary is Being Finalized: Questlove

Share This:

Sly Stone (center) via the Sly & the Family Stone Facebook page

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson has offered a brief update on his as-yet-untitled documentary focusing on the leader of Sly and the Family Stone. In a June 13, 2024, interview on MSNBC’s Morning Joe to promote his new book, Hip Hop is History, Thompson, the drummer of the Roots, and the film’s director said he was about to be finish it. “When I’m done [with this interview]… I’m gonna actually finalize it. Today’s the last day… two years of working on [it].” The film has been acquired by Hulu, though a premiere date has not been announced. [Questlove’s new book is available here.]

In the film’s original announcement, back in 2021, Questlove said in a statement: “It goes beyond saying that Sly’s creative legacy is in my DNA….it’s a black musician’s blueprint….to be given the honor to explore his history and legacy is beyond a dream for me.”

Sly Stone, born Sylvester Stewart on March 15, 1943, formed the biracial, mixed-gender psychedelic soul-rock-funk group in the mid-’60s and led it to great success over the next several years, scoring hits like “Dance to the Music,” “Everyday People” and “Hot Fun in the Summertime.” Sly and the Family Stone were one of the most celebrated acts at the 1969 Woodstock festival and the documentary film made of the event.

The Sly documentary is being produced by MRC Non-Fiction Partners with Network Entertainment, Two One Five Entertainment, Stardust Films and ID8 Multimedia.

“Sly’s influence on popular music and culture as a whole is immeasurable, and what his career represents is a parable that transcends time and place,” said Amit Dey, head of MRC Non-Fiction, in the Feb. 19, 2021 announcement. “Questlove’s vision, sensitivity and reverence brings the urgency that Sly’s story and music deserve, and we’re excited to be working with him to bring Sly’s story to life.”

Questlove on MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe,’ June 13, 2024

Thompson’s 2021 directorial debut, Summer of Soul (… Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The film, which tells of the little known 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, secured a distribution deal with Searchlight Pictures and Hulu. It’s also available for purchase here.

According to a Feb. 2021 report on Deadline.com, the Sly Stone film “is expected to focus not just on his successes, but also the consequences and cultural expectations of that rise in an era of expanding media, shifting societal norms in the ’60s, the Black Power movement and the backlash that followed.”

On the same day as news of the documentary was first revealed, Sony Music released an animated video of “Everyday People.”

Stone published his memoir, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin), in 2023. It’s available in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here. The group’s recordings are available in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here.