Steven Soderbergh Says His John Lennon Doc Will Get People to Hear ‘What John and Yoko Had To Say on That Afternoon Before He Was Killed’

Stephen Soderbergh has completed his still-untitled documentary centered on John Lennon‘s final interview which he describes as “an incredible historical document” that is “even more relevant today” than it was 45 years ago on the fateful day of December 8, 1980, when Lennon was killed. “I’m excited about it,” Soderbergh said, speaking at the inaugural Doha Film Festival where his latest film “The Christophers” is launching internationally after premiering in Toronto. Given the interview’s historical importance, the job is to present the doc “in such a way that it enhances the interview and doesn’t distract from it,” he said. “I’m not looking to re-invent the form. I’m just hoping to create a film that gets as many people as possible to hear what John and Yoko had to say on that afternoon before he was killed,” Soderbergh noted. “They were both so free in their discussions. As someone who has been interviewed many times I was surprised at how open and excited they were to talk,” he continued. “You would think they had never been interviewed before.” “So I want that to come across to the audience. Everything that they said 45 years ago is not just relevant today. It’s even more relevant in terms or relationships, politics, how we treat each other. How systems work on the individual and above all on the importance of love in our daily life and our world,” the prolific director went on to add. Lennon’s final in-depth interview took place alongside Yoko on Dec. 8, 1980. He had just turned 40 and emerged from a five-year hiatus from the music industry to care for his son, Sean. It was the only radio interview granted around the release of their album, “Double Fantasy.” That afternoon, they met a team from RKO Radio at the Dakota, their New York City apartment building and held a wide-ranging conversation. Twelve hours later Lennon was dead gunned down outside the Dakota by Mark David Chapman. The still untitled John Lennon doc production details of which are still under wraps marks Soderbergh’s first feature documentary in many years, following “And Everything Is Going Fine,” a portrait of artist Spalding Gray released in 2010.
https://variety.com/2025/film/global/steven-soderbergh-john-lennon-yoko-afternoon-he-was-killed-1236587924/