August 19, 2019. Toby Emmerich, Chairman Warner Bros. Pictures Group announced that Western Stars will make its premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and will screen worldwide in October 2019. This will be Springsteen’s first studio album in five years and he will also be making his directing debut with his longtime collaborator director Thom Zimny.
Western Stars returns to some of the Boss’s frequently used themes: love and loss, loneliness, and the inexorable passage of time. This documentary draws on the fictional and real experiences of life in the American West, and combines Springsteen’s narration with archival film footage. Springsteen’s many fans will get their only opportunity to see the singer/songrwriter perform all 13 songs on the album, backed by a band and a full orchestra under the cathedral ceiling of his historic nearly 100-year-old barn.
[youtube httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGqjav-KbDU&w=853&h=480]
Emmerich states that “Bruce lives in the super rarified air of artists who have blazed new and important trails deep into their careers. With Western Stars, Bruce is pivoting yet again, taking us with him on an emotional and introspective cinematic journey, looking back and looking ahead. As one of his many fans for over 40 years, I couldn’t be happier to be a rider on this train with Bruce and Thom.”
As Springsteen’s 19th studio album, it has topped charts on iTunes and around the world, and has been critically acclaimed. Springsteen and Zimny last collaborated on the Netflix filmed version of the Tony Award-winning Springsteen on Broadway. Accompanying Springsteen who also wrote the original score is his wife Patti Scialfa. Thom Zimny, Jon Landau, Barbara Carr and George Travis produced the film, with Springsteen serving as executive producer.