Even as he flirts with retirement, Steve Martin finds himself in a late-career renaissance thanks to the Hulu comedy “Only Murders In The Building.” The show notched Martin three Emmy nominations this year, and as of last month, there’s a third season on the way. But there’s another upcoming project about Martin on the way, too, from documentary extraordinaire Morgan Neville.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Neville and A24 are hard at work on a two-part feature film on Martin’s life and career. It’s Neville’s first doc since 2021’s “Roadrunner,” about late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. The Martin doc doesn’t have a title yet, but production on the film has been ongoing all year.
Despite a decades-long career as a comic, actor, and filmmaker, Martin barely touches upon his private life or personal story in his work. His 2007 memoir “Born Standing Up,” about his years as a stand-up comic, is as he’s ever come to autobiography. That makes Neville’s film that much more intriguing. However, Martin has a new book due out in November about his years in film, “Number One Is Walking: My Life In The Movies And Other Diversions.”
Martin’s direct involvement in Neville’s film is minimal. “It’s someone else’s take,” he told THR. “They found a lot of archival stuff. They found a photo of my father in 1944 in Germany, touring Our Town with the USO.” But Martin’s story is in good hands with Neville. The filmmaker won Best Documentary Feature for “20 Feet From Stardom” at the 2014 Oscars. Meanwhile, his 2018 film “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” about Fred Rogers is the high-grossing biographical documentary of all time.
Will Martin retire by the time Neville’s film comes out? Not likely. “My wife keeps saying, ‘You always say you’re going to retire and then you always come up with something,’ ” Martin told THR. “I’m really not interested in retiring. I’m not. But I would just work a little less. Maybe.” With “Only Murders In The Building” such a big hit, Martin likely has a steady stream of work for at least another few years.
There’s no release date for Neville’s Martin documentary but expect a late 2023 release.
