DOCUMENTARY 'DIO: DREAMERS NEVER DIE' ABOUT LEGENDARY HEAVY METAL SINGER RONNIE JAMES DIO PRE-ORDERS LAUNCH TODAY FOR DVD AND BLU-RAY+4K

“DIO: Dreamers Never Die,” the first-ever, career-spanning documentary on the life and times of the late legendary metal icon Ronnie James Dio, will be released worldwide by Mercury Studios on DVD and Blu-Ray+4K and as a special Deluxe Edition featuring the DVD and Blu-Ray packaged with exclusive merchandise on September 29, 2023.  All of these configurations of the film will include a 20-minute selection of deleted and extended scenes restored from the cutting room floor to create a special fan experience.

The limited Deluxe Edition will be packaged in a two-piece lift-off lid box containing both the DVD and Blu-Ray versions of the film plus branded DIO merchandise that will include logoed trading cards, guitar picks, lapel pin, coasters and a fold out poster from the film.   

The DVD, Blu-Ray+4K and the Deluxe Edition are now available for pre-orders HERE ahead of the September 29 release date.

Additionally, fans will be able to purchase the film along with bundles of exclusive Dreamers Never Die merchandise, including a Limited Edition Screen Print Movie Poster, Dreamers Never Die T-Shirts, Hoodies, Trucker Hats and Beanies, Etched Beer Stein, Mousepad, Tote Bag, Replica of “Dio Way” Street Sign, and Word Magnet set as well as a Raglan Shirt and Dome Pin celebrating Dio’s first band, Elf.

“DIO: Dreamers Never Die,” which world premiered at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, enjoyed a special event theatrical release in more than 600 cinemas worldwide last fall and is available on SHOWTIME.   

Of the film, Reel News Daily wrote:  “This film stunned me from the first frames.  I expected to like it, but I never expected to fall madly in love with the film and the man.  This is truly one of the best music docs I’ve seen.  I can’t recommend this film enough.”

“DIO: Dreamers Never Die” delves deep into the singer’s incredible rise from a ‘50s doo-wop crooner to his early rock days in Elf and Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, to replacing Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath, and finally cementing his rock star status with his own band, DIO. The film incorporates never-before-seen footage and personal photos, as well as offering intimate scenes with his closest peers, family, and friends, among them Wendy Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Glenn Hughes, Vinny Appice, Lita Ford, Rob Halford, Sebastian Bach, Eddie Trunk, and Jack Black, as they bring viewers inside the life of one of rock and roll’s true heroes and most beloved figures.

Dio’s widow and longtime manager, Wendy Dio, who executive produced the film, commented:  “I wanted this documentary to be authentic, for the fans to see the roller coaster ride that was Ronnie's life—the good times, the bad times and everything in between, especially including events that even the most diehard fans would not have known about.  It’s all in there, right up to the very end.”

In addition to SXSW, the film was showcased at the Hot Docs Festival in Toronto, IFF Boston, DocsLisboa International Film Festival, the Jecheon International Music & Film Festival in Korea, the Athens International Film & Video Festival and Gimme Shelter Film Festival in Athens, Greece.  Last October, it won the Audience Award at the In-Edit International Music Documentary Film Festival in Barcelona, Spain.

Fully authorized by the artist’s estate, “DIO: Dreamers Never Die” was directed by Don Argott and Demian Fenton (Framing John DeLorean, Believer, Last Days Here), produced by Don Argott and Sheena Joyce for 9.14 Pictures, and executive produced by Wendy Dio for Niji Productions and Kathy Rivkin Daum for BMG.

Ronnie James Dio, who died of gastric cancer in 2010, reigns as one of the most influential rock artists of all time and one of the greatest vocalists ever. With an illustrious recording career spanning from the 1950’s through to the 2000’s, the documentary follows his trajectory from sideman into singer, songwriter and frontman of not one, but three, of rock’s internationally-renowned, multi-Platinum-selling arena attractions: Rainbow, Black Sabbath and DIO. Famous for popularizing the ‘devil horns’ hand gesture that is now synonymous with hard rock and heavy metal music, Dio was known for not wavering in his pursuit of his rock and roll dreams and continues to influence a new generation of music artists.  His fans the world over remember him not only for his massive talent, but for his kindness, resulting in millions of dollars raised for cancer research in his memory via the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund.

Argott and Fenton said, "People who have conviction, talent and heart like Ronnie James Dio are in short supply these days. It is refreshing to share his inspiring story of believing in yourself and chasing your dreams. As life-long DIO fans, it is incredibly humbling to bring Ronnie’s journey to the screen, and we can’t wait to share it with audiences."


ABOUT MERCURY STUDIOS
Mercury Studios is a full-service production studio originating, producing, selling, distributing, and investing in scripted, unscripted, and live content. Editorially independent, Mercury Studios is powered by Universal Music Group and represents the world’s leading catalogue of music-related content.

Current and recent projects include “If These Walls Could Sing,” the untold story of the world-famous Abbey Road Studios, directed by celebrated British photographer and filmmaker Mary McCartney for Disney+; “This Town,” a six-part series for the BBC from writer, creator and executive producer Steven Knight; “Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop,” a feature documentary from Oscar™-winning director/producer Joseph Patel (“Summer of Soul”), adapted from Vikki Tobak’s best-selling book;  “My Life as a Rolling Stone,” a four-part docuseries of intimate portraits of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts; “Shania Twain: Not Just a Girl,” a career documentary about the superstar that is available on Netflix; and “Mars,” a short film based on an original universe and characters created by Yungblud, starring Yasmin Finney, that premiered at the London Film Festival. 

Mercury Studios’ “Miles Davis: Birth of The Cool” was recently honored with two Emmys™ for Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary and Outstanding Sound.  “ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band from Texas” also received a 2021 Grammy™ Award nomination for Best Music Film.  The feature documentaries are part of the Mercury Studios library, consisting of over 5,000 hours of programming

For pre-orders of “DIO: Dreamers Never Die” DVD, Blu-Ray+4K and merchandise bundles, visit: https://shop.bandwear.com/dio

 

For more information on Ronnie James Dio and
“Dreamers Never Die:
https://www.diodreamersneverdie.com/
https://www.ronniejamesdio.com/
https://www.facebook.com/OfficialRonnieJamesDio/
https://twitter.com/officialrjdio
https://www.instagram.com/_ronniejamesdio/

DIO AT THE RAINBOW IN THE DARK CELEBRATION TO HONOR RONNIE JAMES DIO’s 80th BIRTHDAY

The Legendary Rainbow Bar & Grill On The Sunset Strip
In West Hollywood Will Be Open To The Public
For This Special Event On Thursday, July 7

SiriusXM’s Eddie Trunk Will Host a Special Edition of ‘Trunk Nation LA Invasion’ From the Rainbow Featuring Interviews With Rock & Roll Icons and
Dio Collaborators Celebrating Dio

Iconic Dio Music Videos For “Holy Diver,” “Rainbow In The Dark,”
And “Stand Up And Shout” Have Been Newly Remastered
& Upgraded To HD

Holy Diver (Super Deluxe Edition) Featuring Remixed And Remastered Versions Of Dio’s 1983 Platinum Debut, Along With Unreleased Outtakes, Live Recordings, And Rarities, Available July 8 From Rhino

Ronnie James Dio would have turned 80 years old on July 10. To celebrate this historic day, the legendary Rainbow Bar & Grill on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood will host AT THE RAINBOW IN THE DARK, a special event for Dio family, friends, and fans, on July 7 from 7-9PM PT. The event will be open to the public with limited capacity. Click here for more details.

AT THE RAINBOW IN THE DARK will be hosted by one of Dio’s dear friends, SiriusXM host Eddie Trunk, who will spend the evening in conversation with some of Dio’s musical collaborators and friends, with a full list to be announced soon. The complete conversations will be featured in a special ‘Trunk Nation LA Invasion,’ airing on SiriusXM Volume (channel 106) on Friday, July 8th at 2pm ET, with replays over the weekend and available anytime on the SXM App.

AT THE RAINBOW IN THE DARK also falls on the eve of Rhino’s release of Holy Diver: Super Deluxe Edition, an expansive 40-track boxed set of Dio’s classic debut that will be available the following day (July 8) in 4-CD and digital formats.

Additionally, the iconic Dio music videos from the album (“Holy Diver,” “Rainbow In The Dark,” “Stand Up And Shout”) have all been newly remaster and upgraded to HD. Click here to view now.

Among the greatest heavy metal singers of all time, Dio’s career spanned five decades, touched millions of fans and pioneered his signature “devil’s horns,” one of the most popular hand gestures in the world. Dio also provided vocals, lyrics, and melodies for some of the most iconic rock albums of all time with Black Sabbath and Rainbow, before establishing his own band Dio as a metal force with their 1983 debut Holy Diver.

The new Holy Diver: Super Deluxe Edition comes with two versions of the original album. The first is a new mix of the album made by Joe Barresi (Tool, Queens of the Stone Age, Slipknot). He used the original analog tapes to remix all nine tracks on the album. The second is a newly remastered version of the original 1983 mix. The Super Deluxe Edition also features unreleased live performances and outtakes, along with a selection of rarities from the era.

In addition, Barresi’s new mix of Holy Diver will also be released on July 8 as a 2-LP set on 180-gram vinyl. It includes the original nine tracks, plus the 1983 B-side version of “Evil Eyes” as a bonus track. Side four is decorated with an etching of the legendary demon Murry that graces the album’s iconic cover. The vinyl is kept in a gatefold sleeve that shows off newly commissioned artwork by longtime Dio artist, Marc Sasso. The same artwork is also used for the 4-CD Super Deluxe Edition.

After departing Black Sabbath in early 1982, Dio began composing songs that would eventually appear on the album. After writing both “Holy Diver” and “Don’t Talk To Strangers,” Dio then assembled an amazing group of musicians, two familiar faces and one fresh recruit, with drummer Vinny Appice (Dio’s Black Sabbath bandmate), bassist/keyboardist Jimmy Bain (Dio’s Rainbow bandmate) and guitarist Vivian Campbell joining him to record the Holy Diver album.

In the illustrated liner notes that accompany the Super Deluxe Edition, music journalist Mick Wall shares the album’s creation story, including the making of its crown jewel, “Rainbow In The Dark.”

Holy Diver: Super Deluxe Edition goes beyond the original album with a previously unreleased recording of the quartet performing live in 1983 at Selland Arena in Fresno, California during the Holy Diver Tour. Wyn Davis mixed the concert recording, which spotlights live versions of songs from Holy Diver (“Stand Up And Shout” and “Rainbow In The Dark”), Rainbow classics (“Man On The Silver Mountain” and “Starstruck”), and Sabbath staples, (“Children Of The Sea” and “Heaven And Hell.”)

The Super Deluxe Edition also revisits the Holy Diver recording sessions to uncover unreleased outtakes for several album cuts, including unheard takes for “Invisible,” “Straight Through The Heart,” and a version of “Rainbow In The Dark” that boasts an alternative guitar solo. There’s also an early version of “Evil Eyes,” a song that would resurface on Dio’s 1984 follow-up album, The Last in Line. A selection of rarities rounds out the new collection with mono and stereo 7” single edits for “Rainbow In The Dark” and a version of “Evil Eyes” that was released in 1983 as the B-side to “Holy Diver.”