Grateful Dead icon Jerry Garcia is the subject of a new feature length documentary produced by Malcolm Leo (‘This Is Elvis,’ ‘The Beach Boys: An American Band’) and personal manager John Hartmann (The Eagles, Crosby Stills & Nash). According to Deadline, Leo, who will also direct the film, plans to build the documentary around a three-hour conversation that he conducted with Garcia in 1987.

Shot on negative film with studio quality sound and lighting, the footage presents Garcia at the height of his career. Plans to piece together an unprecedented amount of never-before-seen performances, documentary footage and rare home movies are in the works. The goal is to have the documentary ready for release by early-2012 so that it can hit the film festival circuit in the spring.

The filmmakers provided a short clip to the San Francisco Giants baseball team for its Jerry Garcia Day promotion last summer, which drew 42,000 fans. In turn, the entire celebration was captured on film and will be included in the full-length documentary. The producers had full access during the celebration and filmed Annabelle Garcia, Jerry’s eldest daughter, throwing out the first pitch, amongst other highlights.

Garcia passed away in 1995 after spending 30 years recording and performing with the Grateful Dead, and though many Dead-related movies have come out since then, this documentary sounds like it has a lot to offer the dedicated Deadhead. The filming of the 2010 Garcia Day alone brings the story up to date and should reveal that no matter what decade your tie-dye comes from, Garcia’s spirit is alive and well.

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