Wes Orshoski on Paul Di'Anno documentary: almost ten years in the making

A documentary almost ten years in the making

The Paul Di'Anno documentary is one of the more quietly anticipated rock films of the year. According to Billboard, Di'Anno: Iron Maiden's Lost Singer, directed by Wes Orshoski, screens in North American cinemas from June 9 through Cleopatra Entertainment. Di'Anno, the original Iron Maiden frontman, passed away in 2024 at the age of 66, and the film covers his career, his post-Maiden years, and the brutal health battles that defined his final chapter.

Orshoski is no stranger to difficult rock subjects. His previous documentaries include Lemmy and The Damned: Don't You Wish That We Were Dead. He began work on this film in 2017, pitched by Matt Green at Cleopatra Records and Cliff Evans, a longtime friend and former Di'Anno bandmate. What was originally planned as a twelve-month project stretched across years, shaped by Di'Anno's deteriorating health, missed medical appointments, and then the arrival of Covid.

The story the film tells

Di'Anno fronted Iron Maiden from 1978 to 1981, leading the band through their 1980 self-titled debut and the 1981 follow-up Killers. He departed before The Number of the Beast in 1982, the record that launched Bruce Dickinson and took the band to a mainstream audience it still holds today.

By the mid-2010s, Di'Anno was wheelchair-bound due to severe knee injuries. The film documents how two fans launched a crowdfunding campaign and persuaded him to seek treatment in Croatia, a turning point Orshoski describes as the moment the project found its emotional core. In a notable scene, Di'Anno learns that his former Maiden bandmates would help cover his medical bills.

The film features appearances by James Hetfield of Metallica, Gene Simmons of Kiss, Maiden bassist Steve Harris, and members of Exodus, Slayer, Megadeth, Overkill, and Sepultura. Hetfield opens the documentary with a direct tribute: "Those first two albums are so special to me. Paul had kinda like the ultimate metal voice for me."

The man behind the legend

Orshoski filmed with Di'Anno on and off from 2017 to 2023 and is candid about the experience. "Paul could be an absolute sweetheart, a lovely man, and he could be an absolute demon," he told Billboard. The director says he tried to show both sides without softening either.

The release comes in a significant year for Iron Maiden, who were also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Orshoski, who grew up near Cleveland, called the induction "the biggest wrong that needed to be righted."

For anyone curious about where heavy metal's origin story actually begins, this documentary makes a case that it starts somewhere before The Number of the Beast, with a singer most casual listeners have never heard.