Today Legion M announced the feature documentary William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill will debut in theaters in North America on March 22, which happens to be Shatner’s 93rd birthday.
You Can Call Me Bill
Star Trek icon William Shatner previewed a new documentary about his life back at Comic-Con 2022, and now You Can Call Me Bill has a release date and a trailer. Here is the official description:
William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill is an intimate exploration of the life and career of William Shatner. From his unforgettable portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek to his diverse accomplishments of a 70+ year career across film, television, and the arts, the documentary captures the essence of Shatner’s journey and his extraordinary contributions to the entertainment industry.
You can pre-order tickets for the documentary HERE. Pre-orders include special limited edition release pins.
They also released the first trailer for the film:
The documentary was entirely financed by over 1,200 fans via Legion M’s “fan-first-financing,” which allowed people to invest as little as $100 to own a financial stake in the film and any profits it generates.
“This film was made possible by fans,” said William Shatner in a statement. “Fans of independent film, fans of documentaries, and fans whose support has given me a career in this industry. Legion M’s approach of uniting the audience to make movies is brilliant. I’m honored to stand with those who invested, and proud to be a part of the work they helped create. I hope everyone comes out to join our celebration when the film releases in theaters on March 22.”
William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill was directed by award-winning filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe (78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene, Memory: The Origins of Alien). “It’s great for documentaries and for the industry that William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill is making its way to theaters,” the director said in a statement. “This film has been a labor of love—the big screen experience will allow audiences to immerse themselves in his journey. It’s an honor to have this project shared with audiences in theaters, where it truly belongs.”
William Shatner in You Can Call Me Bill (Legion M)
In 2022, Shatner said, “For years I’ve had people approaching me to do a documentary about my life, but I turned them all down because it didn’t feel like the right fit. Alexandre and I hit it off right away, and when I heard how Legion M wanted to incorporate audiences to be a part of it, it was perfect. Fans have been responsible for my career—it only seems right that they should own this doc.”
The documentary premiered at SXSW in 2023 where it was nominated for the Audience Award. In the last year, it has been on a worldwide festival tour that included BFI London, Sitges, Melbourne, Karlovy Vary, and Filmfest München. So far it has been a hit with critics, with a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
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This looks Great. Bill if you are reading – we love you. Keep boldly going dont ever stop
God bless you
I gave him your message and he said “get a life”!
I love the dude, but I don’t think I need yet another one of these Shat-event things…I have been to that well multiple times, and paid for each opportunity, including two in-person invents.
Dislike his rudeness sometimes…but his talent, charisma, and his good genes, God bless him! He is still so sharp, brilliant, busy as well, in his 90s!? Amazing. Still wanting to see him one more time as Captain Kirk.
Is it rudeness or bluntness? As I came to realize that most of the time bluntness can come off as rude. I feel like Shatner is more blunt and that comes across as rude in general. In life blunt people do come off as rude but I don’t think it’s their intention to be rude its just their character traits and can be very hard to change especially as people get older.
This is true. Not sure if rudeness or bluntness. Don’t get me wrong, Shatner is talented, authentic, an amazing actor. I may think this way in regards to the relationship with his peers. The whole crew is not quiet to talk in public about him. Which is ok. But Takei being so vocal and listening to his story. Also Nichole. I saw a clip of her in the Discovery premiere I believe, she was full of joy to see him, in public tried to give him a smile or a kiss in the cheek and he was totally ignoring her, upset and irritated. Nichole was fragile already. It was sad to see him at his age still with these type of feelings for his “crew.” Felt sorry for her. Then Nimoy, that was sad, too. If the news are accurate, Nimoy did not wished to talk to him again. Shatner did not even tried to see him alive months before he passed away, not even go to his funeral to pay respect to him and his family.
Don’t get me wrong, no human is perfect. And in their close circle we have no idea what really happens to these actors in their personal life.
I like him as I like all of them in TOS. Shatner is amazing in every way. And I have my love to all of them as well.
Yep, I’m going to have to see that, assuming it gets into a theatre that’s close enough for my extremely limited ability to travel.
We now have it in 464 theatres nationwide and the number is growing. I’m not sure if links are allowed here but I will try. This takes you to the Legion M page where it lists all the theatres it is playing in, alphabetically, by state. This is updated every few days. Shatner fans will not be disappointed!
https://legionm.com/shareholder-updates/william-shatner-theater-list
I can’t wait to see it. I’m a big Bill Shatner fan. I love his work in TV, film, books, and music. He’s extraordinary. He’s not perfect, he’s human like the rest of us. He’s been a big part of my life since childhood and looking forward to seeing what he has to say in his documentary.
Yes, exactly. Well put. He’s been a hero of mine for about 50 years…. :)
As one of the investor/producers of this, I am really excited to see Deadline picking up the story! Looking forward to seeing it in the finished form on release!
Do you get a share of the profits?
Yes, I do! The way it’s set up with Legion M, once the costs of the film are all covered, the profits then get divided up among all the investors. I was lucky to get in on it since the offering to invest was all taken up quickly!
I really wish I had known about it, I would’ve put in the cash without a second thought
I can’t remember how I found out about it but I’m always looking for off-the-wall investments and this definitely filled that requirement! My only regret is in not having invested more than I did.
Great!
Hey, fellow investor! Did you get to sit in on the zoom call with Bill, awhile back? Dang, that was epic! My daughter and I are going to the red carpet showing in Playa Vista on the 20th. We’re very excited!
I love how he keeps moving forward, it’s inspirational. I can see myself picking this up on disc one day.
I can’t wait to see this when I can. People that know me know that William Shatner is the reason I got into Star Trek in the first place.
That’s such an interesting history, since most of us got into William Shatner through seeing him in Star Trek.
I agree – Kirk is my absolute favorite character in all of Trek, and if Shatner wasn’t so watchable in the role I don’t know if I would be the huge fan I am. I’ve met him twice now in Ticonderoga, NY, and it’s an absolute joy every time! I hope he makes it to a hundred and beyond.
Love Bill. But Pittsburgh often dies not get these kind of movies. I’m somewhat reluctant to but tickets to something that may not happen in my town.
It’s playing in P-Burgh at Cinemark North Hills for one night only, on the 20th.
Of course, he told George Lucas, “You can call me Mr. Shatner.”
That does look good.