Amazon Studios has acquired the global rights to The Blue Angels, an Imax Original Documentary that follows the Navy and Marine Corps flight squadron through their intense training and aerial artistry. The production-distribution company has partnered with Bad Robot, Glen Powell’s Barnstorm Productions, Zipper Bros Films, and Dolphin Entertainment to produce the documentary. Directed and edited by Paul Crowder, the documentary was filmed using awe-inspiring Imax cameras.
The Blue Angels features the iconic blue and yellow F/A-18 Super Hornets in Imax for the first time. It also highlights the spectacle of the traveling air show through the team’s support staff on the ground and their loved ones left at home. The documentary captures the veterans on the team who will take their final flights this year.
Amazon executive chairman Jeff Bezos, an aerospace enthusiast and founder of rocket company Blue Origin, is likely to be thrilled with the acquisition. Brianna Oh, head of documentary features at Amazon Studios, said, “This fascinating and layered documentary is wholly representative of the kind of work ethic, teamwork, and perseverance that goes into being a Blue Angel. We are incredibly honored to join this talented filmmaking team in bringing their story to audiences around the world.”
The Blue Angels will be the theatrical documentary experience of the year, according to John Turner, documentaries chief for Imax. Imax has partnered with Amazon Studios to broaden its original documentaries for a streaming audience. J.J. Abrams, co-CEO of Bad Robot, commented, “It’s a message that I think will be as inspiring to the audience as it has been to the filmmakers.”
The Blue Angels was founded in 1946 by then Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Chester Nimitz, to create a flight demonstration team to raise the public’s interest in naval aviation and boost Navy morale. The squadron spends January through March training at Naval Air Facility El Centro, California, and is stationed at Forrest Sherman Field, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, during the air show season.
CAA Media Finance arranged the film’s financing and brokered the acquisition deal. Dolphin Entertainment co-financed the film. The Blue Angels’ next public aerial display is scheduled for May 6-7 at the Wings Over South Texas Air Show in Corpus Christi.
Leave a Reply