Wes Orshoski, director of the highly anticipated documentary Di'Anno: Iron Maiden's Lost Singer, revealed that the current members of Iron Maiden declined to participate in the production about former vocalist Paul Di'Anno. The documentary will depict the last years of the musician's life, who passed away in October 2024.
In an interview with Billboard, the filmmaker detailed his attempt to contact the Iron Maiden team early in the project. Wes cited the kindness of manager Rod Smallwood, who informed him that no one from the band would be giving testimonials, and described the refusal as a "huge disappointment."
“The first thing I did after signing the contract with [production company] Cleopatra was to call Iron Maiden’s management. Manager Rod Smallwood was very kind, but immediately told me that neither he nor any of the current band members would be participating. Obviously, it was a huge disappointment, but not unexpected. In the end, however, I’m very happy to say that [bassist] Steve Harris and the rest of the guys appear in the film,” he stated [transcription via Blabbermouth].
The musicians' presence in the final version of the documentary is due to footage taken during the historic reunion after 30 years between Paul Di'Anno and Steve Harris in Croatia in 2022, before the singer's first full concert after his knee surgery. The meeting was also notable for taking place backstage at the opening show of Legacy of the Beast , held in the same city.
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