Willie Nelson’s Story to Be Told in New Docuseries

Pamela Springsteen*

The life and music of Willie Nelson will be covered extensively in an upcoming docuseries. Willie Nelson and Family, produced by Blackbird Presents and Sight Unseen, is currently being filmed with the participation of the country legend and his family.

Developed by Nelson’s manager Mark Rothbaum and Blackbird Presents Founder and Chief Creative Officer Keith Wortman, Willie Nelson and Family is being directed by Thom Zimny and Oren Moverman. The series will feature the singer, his family, and friends in a variety of locales, including Austin, Maui, Nashville, Los Angeles, and New York. With access to the singer’s archives, directors are able to put together a story about one of the 20th and 21st century’s most enduring musical figures. A premiere date has not yet been announced.

“Words like ‘honored,’ ‘excited’ and ‘humbled’ don’t come close to describing the way we feel about being entrusted with telling Willie’s story,” Zimny and Moverman said in a statement. “And what a story it is! We are celebrating the music, the career, the long road, the family, friends and history. But, more than anything, we are piecing together a narrative – one never before seen in its entirety – about an extraordinary man with a unique ability to bring people together.”

Now 88 years old, Nelson is still at work on a variety of projects. Early in 2021, he released his latest album That’s Life, a musical tribute to Frank Sinatra. In June, he released the book Letters to America, which collected Nelson’s writing on the topic of being a U.S. citizen. Next month, he’ll headline the Outlaw Music Festival Tour, with a rotating cast of artists that includes Sturgill Simpson, Chris Stapleton, Margo Price, Yola, and Kathleen Edwards.