Netflix is bringing an Olivia Newton-John documentary to our screens. The streaming service announced on June 24, 2025, that the documentary is in production. Oscar nominee Nicole Newnham will direct the show.
Newton-John was a best-selling music artist and actress born on September 26, 1948, in England. She began her music career in her teens and by 1973, she had reached the top 10 U.S. charts with the country tune Let Me Be There, which earned her a Grammy. In 1978, she featured in the musical film Grease, playing Sandy Olsson, a good girl who falls in love with John Travolta’s bad boy character. Newton-John earned four Grammy awards, a Daytime Emmy Award, nine Billboard Music Awards, six American Music Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame during her lifetime. Health-wise, she suffered recurring breast cancer and lived her last years as an advocate and sponsor for breast cancer research. Newton-John passed away in August 2022 after her last case of breast cancer spread to her lower back and progressed to stage IV. She was 73.
Netflix is making public all of these and more through Oscar-nominated director Newnham. In a statement, the streaming platform reports, as per Deadline, that this feature will, “through vivid archival and via reminiscences from close friends and collaborators, follow Olivia’s journey as the world falls madly in love with her and she rises to the height of fame, only to be confronted by challenges of epic proportions,” in their words.
“I Fell In Love With Her As A Young Girl”: Nicole Newnham on Directing Newton-John Documentary
Image via CBS
Netflix’s statement described the beloved pop star, Newton-John, as an underestimated talent that silenced her detractors by pushing through phenomenal loss with grace and gratitude. Director Newnham also recounts how she fell in love with the singer as a young girl, and how directing the documentary has revealed a complex and extraordinary woman (Newton-John).
In a statement reported by Deadline, Newnham reflected on Newton-John’s letters, the way she signed them all with love and light, literally. She further expressed how listening to Grease on repeat made her fall in love with the pop star. She detailed the filmmaking journey, going into the archives and amazing community of Newton-John’s close friends and family, and how in her words: “[it] has revealed a complex and extraordinary woman whose impact on the world is still rippling outwards.”
The yet untitled Olivia Newton-John biographical film will be produced by R.J. Cutler, Elise Pearlstein, Trevor Smith, and Margaret Yen from This Machine, alongside Howard Gertler. Mark Blatty will executive produce for This Machine, while Larry Mestel and Natalia Nastaskin handle executive production duties for Primary Wave.
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Olivia Newton-John Documentary |
|---|---|
| Main Cast | N/A (Biographical documentary; features archival footage and interviews) |
| Premiere Date | TBD (Announced June 24, 2025) |
| Stream On | Netflix |
| Directed By | Nicole Newnham (Oscar-nominated) |
| Produced By | R.J. Cutler, Elise Pearlstein, Trevor Smith, Margaret Yen, Howard Gertler |
| Executive Producers | Mark Blatty (This Machine), Larry Mestel, Natalia Nastaskin (Primary Wave) |
| Based On | Life and legacy of Olivia Newton-John |
| Plot Summary | A moving documentary chronicling Olivia Newton-John’s journey through music, stardom, activism, and personal triumph |
| Musical Elements | Archival performances and iconic tracks from Olivia Newton-John’s career |
| Current Status | In production as of June 24, 2025 |
