Universal, HBO Swoop on Tina Turner Doc From ‘Searching for Sugar Man’ Producers

Tina, the upcoming feature documentary about music icon Tina Turner from the same team behind Searching for Sugar Man, has been picked up by HBO for the U.S., Altitude for the U.K. and Ireland and Universal Pictures Content Group for the rest of the world.

The film will debut in March in the U.S. exclusively on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max. Meanwhile, Universal is planning a theatrical release in early summer across multiple territories before it hits home entertainment platforms, and Altitude will release theatrically and on home entertainment in April in the U.K. and Ireland concurrent to its broadcast on Sky Documentaries.

First announced at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, the documentary comes from Oscar-winning directors Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin (Undefeated, LA 92), Oscar-winning producer Simon Chinn (Man on Wire, Searching for Sugar Man, Whitney), and Emmy-winning producer Jonathan Chinn (LA 92, Whitney), together with Emmy-nominated producer Diane Becker (The Final Year, Belushi).

Tina is billed as a revealing and intimate look at the life and career of a music icon, charting Turner’s improbable rise to early fame, her personal and professional struggles throughout her life and her even more improbable resurgence as a global phenomenon in the 1980s. The film will feature interviews with Turner herself, conducted in her hometown of Zurich, Switzerland, and with those closest to her, along with never-before-seen footage, audio tapes and personal photos.

“Tina is the ultimate celebration of a global superstar and an intimate portrait of a woman who overcame extreme adversity to define her career, her identity and her legacy on her own terms,” said Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn, co-founders of producers Lightbox. “From her early career as the queen of R&B to her record-breaking sell-out arena tours of the ’80s, Tina Turner draws back the curtain to invite us into her private world in a way she has never done before. We are thrilled to be partnering with Universal, Altitude and HBO to bring the film to audiences around the world.”

Tina is a Lightbox Production. Erwin Bach, Tali Pelman, Will Clarke, Andy Mayson, Mike Runagall, David Gilbery, and Charles Dorfman exec produce.