Iron Maiden Gets Documentary Treatment With ‘Burning Ambition’

Don’t run to the hills.  A new Iron Maiden documentary is coming to a theater near you.

Universal Pictures International (UPI) unveils Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition, a feature film that’s said to trace the British heavy metal legends’ “remarkable five‑decade journey” with “unprecedented access” to the rockers’ official archives.

The doc releases exclusively in cinemas from May 7, and includes interviews with the band and contributions from the likes of actor Javier Bardem, Metallica’s Lars Ulrich and Public Enemy emcee Chuck D.

Directed by Malcolm Venville (Churchill at War) and produced by Dominic Freeman (Spirits in the Forest – A Depeche Mode Film), the “electrifying film offers an intimate look at their uncompromising vision and unwavering connection with their global army of fans,” reads a statement.

Spanish illustrator Alberto “Akirant” Quirantes contributes newly created key art, following his work on Iron Maiden 50th anniversary coin for the Royal Mint, which was released to celebrate the band’s milestone in 2025.

Formed in East London in 1975, Iron Maiden are giants of their scene, with 17 studio albums, over 100 million records sold, and more than 2,500 performances across 64 countries.

Fewer than five years ago, in September 2021, Iron Maiden earned its highest charting album ever on the Billboard 200 as Senjutsu debuted at No. 3. The veteran hard rock outfit previously peaked at No. 4 on the all-genres chart with its previous two studio releases: The Book of Souls (in 2015) and The Final Frontier (2010). In total, Senjutsu was Iron Maiden’s 15th top 40-charting album (dating to its first, The Number of the Beast, in 1982), of which four have hit the top 10.

The doc is announced as the band continues its two-year Run For Your Lives world tour, which expanded with the EddFest at Knebworth Park, England, on July 11, one of more than 50 shows booked worldwide this year. That run includes headline spots at this fall’s Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, KY, and France’s Hellfest.

This year is an unusually packed one for Iron Maiden docs. A separate film about the life and health struggles of early Iron Maiden singer Paul Di’Anno will be released this summer, through Cleopatra Entertainment. Di’Anno: Iron Maiden’s Lost Singer is directed by Wes Orshoski (Lemmy), who shot the film in England, Croatia, Brazil and the United States, and completed it shortly before Di’Anno’s death in October 2023, aged 66.

Tickets for Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition go on sale March 19.