Apple TV+ snags Spike Jonze's documentary on the Beastie Boys

Apple TV+ is about to venture into uncharted territory for the service: music documentaries. Apple has acquired Beastie Boys Story, a documentary co-produced by the remaining two Beastie Boys (Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz) and directed by friend and collaborator Spike Jonze. The movie will follow the stories of Ad-Rock, MCA and Mike D both as a band and as close pals. It premieres online April 24th, although it'll come to some IMAX theaters for a "limited engagement" on April 3rd.

The documentary is a modest coup for Apple. Rivals have plenty of music docs, such as Beyoncé's Homecoming on Netflix -- Apple has a long way to go if TV+ is going to compete in terms of sheer numbers. An official Beastie Boys documentary is a big deal, though, and shows that Apple is serious about landing documentaries for its fledgling streaming service. The company is also in a unique position to capitalize on non-fiction material like this -- you can watch the stories behind Ill Communication and Hello Nasty in one moment and listen to those albums in another.