HBO Documentary Films has boarded Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s documentary film about the iconic multi-genre group Earth, Wind & Fire. The announcement comes just over a year after Questlove announced the still-untitled project, which he called “the definitive story of the elements … of how a band led by a genius from Chicago changed our way of thinking, our minds and our hearts.”
The Earth, Wind & Fire project will mark Questlove’s fourth documentary as a director. The documentarian saw Oscar success with his debut feature, “Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” which won the statue for Best Documentary Feature in 2022 after a Sundance 2021 premiere.
HBO Documentary Films has joined the project alongside Fifth Season and will release the doc on HBO and stream it on HBO Max in 2026.
RadicalMedia, Two One Five Entertainment, Broken Halo Entertainment and Word Is Bond serve as producers in association with Sony Music Vision.
The Earth, Wind & Fire doc will tell the story of the legendary musical group through exclusive archival footage, audio and written material. Like some of Questlove’s other documentary work, the project will follow both the past and the present, speaking to both the group’s history and legacy.
“I’m honored to tell the story of Earth, Wind & Fire and the deep meaning behind their message and music,” Questlove said in a statement. “To grow up listening to the music is one thing but to be handed the keys to the kingdom of preserving history is another. I can’t imagine a better platform on which to share this documentary with U.S. audiences than HBO.”
After “Summer of Soul,” Questlove — whose extensive resume includes percussionist, producer, DJ, journalist and more — went on to helm the TV doc “Ladies & Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL Music” ahead of the 50th anniversary special of “Saturday Night Live.” Questlove co-directed the project — which focused on the musical guests and sketches throughout the 50-year history of “SNL” — with Oz Rodriguez.
Questlove returned to Sundance in 2025 with a follow-up cinematic documentary: “Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius).” The project, which focused on the career and legacy of Sly and the Family Stone, received rave reviews out of the film festival and was released in Feb. 2025.
“Thompson’s knack for cinematic pacing, compositions, and arrangement puts ‘Sly Lives!’ over the top, especially during his loving interview segments with the Family Stone band members,” Simon Abrams wrote in a Sundance review for TheWrap. “The resulting portrait feels not only true enough, but also meaningful in a way that extends well beyond Stewart’s individual circumstances. ‘Sly Lives!’ may not give you everything that you want from a movie about Stewart, but it does paint a full enough picture of an artist who knowingly ‘opened a portal,’ in Benjamin’s words, while also struggling to be both genuine and comfortable as himself.”
As for the upcoming Earth, Wind & Fire doc, Questlove produced the project alongside Dave Sirulnick, Samantha Grogin, KB White and Arron Saxe. Zarah Zohlman, Shawn Gee, Jon Kamen, Cheo Hodari Coker and Amos Newman served as executive producers.
