A Neil Peart documentary honoring the late Rush drummer arrives this fall

A feature documentary about Neil Peart, titled Neil Peart: No One's Disciple, will premiere September 23 on CBC, with Republic Pictures handling distribution outside Canada, SPIN reported on August 6. Directed by Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn, the film explores the artistry of Rush's late drummer and lyricist through archival footage, reflections and live performances.

Rush bandmates Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson appear throughout, alongside an all-star lineup of drummers taking on Peart's demanding compositions: Tool's Danny Carey, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith and the Police's Stewart Copeland, all of whom also played tribute sets with Lee and Lifeson at memorial concerts for Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins in 2022.

Peart, also Rush's primary lyricist, is routinely cited as one of rock's greatest drummers for his technical precision and elaborate kit work; mastering songs like Tom Sawyer has long been a rite of passage for young drummers. "It's kind of my responsibility, I see it, as a drummer," he says in one of the film's archival interviews.

The documentary arrives during a renewed period of activity for Rush: Lee and Lifeson returned to the road in June for the Fifty Something tour, their first performances under the Rush banner since Peart's death in 2020, joined onstage by former Jeff Beck drummer Anika Nilles and former the Who keyboardist Loren Gold.

Chad Smith and Taylor Hawkins had also taken part in an earlier Peart tribute together, in September 2020, with proceeds from that show benefiting brain tumor research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The film lands in our rock coverage alongside the rest of Rush's late-career reunion news.