In a world where every rock legend has a mythic retelling, Chris Cornell's voice whispers like a divine chord that stands out as a tortured genius, haunted frontman, linking grunge and soul. Add that to Brad Pitt's Midas touch as a production company mammoth, and the potential for a documentary appeared nearly inevitable. Rumors swirled for years about Pitt's involvement in the project with raw archival recordings, but years on, fans are still left with no answer. Did the Chris Cornell documentary ever get off the ground? Or was it sidetracked?

Some tales churn the mills of memory long before the lenses ever turn; however, Cornell's story remains one for the history books to be preserved in a fine documentary.

Back in 2019, Variety reported that a documentary about Chris Cornell, produced by his widow Vicky Cornell and Brad Pitt's Film 45, with Peter Berg directing, was in development. The outlet indicated that the movie would cover the musician's life through Soundgarden, Audioslave, and his solo career. However, years passed with no official updates on the production of the documentary. While only a few tangible updates have floated online since those initial reports, the fate of its status is still unknown. Meanwhile, IMDb continues to note an Untitled Chris Cornell Documentary as being in production. 

Subsequently, Radio X broke the news that the project, also referred to as Like a Stone, intended to feature dramatized reenactments with actors, depicting moments of Cornell's tumultuous life. Alt Press reported that Lauchlin MacDonald was set to play Chris Cornell, with Drena De Niro as his wife, Vicky Cornell, Adelicia Morris as his mother, Karen Cornell, and Micah Fitzgerald as Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose. According to some reports, it was supposed to be released in 2021, but that deadline went by without anything progressing. 

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While several reports blame delays due to rights, estate clearance, or creative revisions, some version of the documentary still seems to be in developmental limbo, as several similar projects continue to get scrapped.

Brad Pitt, not only an iconic thespian, but a genius producer with a sharp eye for incredible stories, had set his mind on documenting Chris Cornell's legendary story. The lead singer of Soundgarden, and as a solo artist, whose vocal range and writing teetered between grunge, hard rock, and tender soul, met an untimely death by suicide in 2017, leaving his fans, critics, and peers struggling to balance his legacy. 

While the Chris Cornell documentary led by Brad Pitt remains buoyed in promise and speculation, some alternative works on his life still strive to highlight his career and tragedy alike. For instance, ‎Apple TV+ covered his story in Chris Cornell - Life, Death & Money (Season 1, Episode 2), focusing on the grunge rock icon's harrowing death in the middle of a tour in May 2017, which shook the world, or Zoran Trajkovic's The Last Hours of Chris Cornell (TV Episode 2018), and many more. Cornell's legacy and shocking demise remain preserved in pop culture history, nonetheless. 

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Have you been waiting for the Chris Cornell documentary? Let us know in the comments below.