Picture: Kino Lorber
From roles in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory to Blazing Saddles to Young Frankenstein to The Producers and countless more, Gene Wilder holds a special place in many people’s hearts. His memory is honored in Remembering Gene Wilder, which has just been confirmed to be part of Netflix’s US lineup for June 2024.
First premiering at film festivals throughout 2023 and more recently getting a VOD release in March 2024, the documentary will be making its streaming video-on-demand debut via Netflix on June 13th, 2024. It’s unclear whether other regions will receive the doc.
The documentary is helmed by Peabody award-winning director Ron Frank, who has worked on several documentaries throughout his career, including 2013’s When Comedy Went to School. It focuses on the life and career of the late Wilder; it uses a mixture of recordings from his memoirs, testimony from friends and colleagues, and archival footage to take us inside the famed actor’s life and his battle with Alzheimer’s in later years.
Interviewed or featured via archival footage throughout the documentary features some big names, including Alan Alda, Mel Brooks, and Harry Connick. Jr., Carol Kane, Ben Mankiewicz, Erick McCormack, Richard Pryor, and Peter Ostrum.
As you may expect, Remembering Gene Wilder received strong reviews from audiences and critics alike. JoBlo, updating their review of the film in late March 2024, said it is “moving” while adding that it’s a “loving tribute to the late icon.” On IMDb, it currently holds an 8.0/10.
This is the second major licensed title from Kino Lorber to come to Netflix in recent months. The distributor acquired the rights to Remembering Gene Wilder in January. In late 2023, Netflix licensed Radical Wolfe, another retrospective documentary on journalist, author, and satirist Tom Wolfe. It comes at a time of big expansion for Kino Lorber, with the distributor getting into competition with Netflix, relaunching its streaming service called the Kino Film Collection, boasting over 4,000 titles.
For more on what’s coming to Netflix US throughout June 2024, keep it locked here on What’s on Netflix for the most comprehensive rundown of everything from movies, series, and games on the way.
Will you be checking out the Gene Wilder documentary when it drops on Netflix in the United States? Let us know in the comments down below.
