A new Paul McCartney documentary examining one of the most pivotal chapters of his career is set to arrive in Australia, with the first trailer now released for Man On The Run. The film focuses on McCartney’s creative rebirth in the years following the breakup of The Beatles, charting the formation, struggle and eventual global success of Wings.
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Morgan Neville, Man On The Run takes its title from one of Wings’ defining recordings and places the spotlight firmly on McCartney’s life and work during the 1970s. The documentary is positioned as an intimate portrait of an artist recalibrating his identity after the end of the most influential band in popular music history.
Following The Beatles’ split in 1970, McCartney found himself facing personal uncertainty and public scepticism. For an artist whose entire adult life had been defined by a single group, the transition into independence was anything but straightforward. In Man On The Run, McCartney speaks candidly about the emotional toll of that period, describing a deep sense of loss and depression as he questioned whether he would ever write music again.
Central to the story is Linda McCartney, who became both his wife and his closest creative ally. The documentary traces how the couple chose to build a new musical life together, forming Wings as a deliberately different kind of band. Rather than assembling a supergroup, McCartney opted for a democratic unit that would allow him to start again from the ground up, away from the impossible expectations attached to his Beatles legacy.
Initially, Wings struggled for acceptance. Early releases were met with harsh criticism and doubts about McCartney’s artistic direction. Man On The Run revisits this period with the benefit of hindsight, framing those early setbacks as essential to the band’s eventual breakthroughs. As the decade progressed, Wings evolved into one of the most successful acts of the era, delivering enduring songs such as Live And Let Die, My Love, Silly Love Songs and Man On The Run.
The documentary draws on previously unseen footage, rare archival material and new interviews to document that transformation. McCartney also served as an executive producer, ensuring unprecedented access to his personal archives. Neville’s approach places equal weight on the music and the human cost of reinvention, presenting McCartney as a working artist balancing creativity, family life and relentless public scrutiny.
Beyond Wings, the film also explores McCartney’s complex relationship with John Lennon during the post-Beatles years. As former collaborators drifted apart creatively and personally, their bond remained emotionally significant. McCartney reflects on that evolving relationship with clarity and warmth, acknowledging both the conflicts and the deep affection that defined their partnership until Lennon’s death in 1980.
All four Beatles are represented within the documentary through archival footage, with appearances from George Harrison and Ringo Starr alongside Lennon. The film also features contributions from figures connected to McCartney’s broader creative world, including Denny Laine, the long-serving Wings guitarist who passed away in 2023, as well as Sean Lennon and Chrissie Hynde.
Man On The Run runs for 115 minutes and is produced by Tremolo in association with MPL and Polygram Entertainment, presented by Amazon MGM Studios. The film forms part of a wider partnership between McCartney, Universal Music Group and Amazon, which has already delivered recent releases including the book Wings: The Story Of A Band On The Run and a comprehensive Wings anthology.
For Australian audiences, Man On The Run will stream globally on Prime Video from February 27, following a limited theatrical release. With its focus on resilience, risk-taking and creative renewal, the documentary reframes the Wings era as a defining period in McCartney’s career rather than a footnote between Beatlemania and legacy status.
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