Paul McCartney Introduces Man on the Run, a Documentary About Life After the Beatles
Paul McCartney is revisiting one of the most uncertain chapters of his career in Man on the Run, a new documentary that examines his life and artistic rebirth in the years following the breakup of the Beatles. A newly released trailer offers a reflective, understated look at the period when McCartney suddenly separated from the band that had defined his identity, and was forced to confront the possibility that his creative life might be over.
“The Beatles had been my whole life, really,” McCartney says in the preview. “When we split up, I thought, ‘I’ll never write another note of music, ever.’” The line captures the emotional fallout of the band’s 1970 dissolution, when McCartney, still in his twenties, found himself adrift after a decade of unprecedented success.
Rather than rehashing the Beatles’ final years, Man on the Run focuses on what followed: a period marked by self-doubt, critical skepticism, and gradual reinvention. The film traces McCartney’s transition from isolation to creative renewal through the formation of Wings, the group he founded with his wife, Linda McCartney, alongside guitarist Denny Laine and drummer Denny Seiwell. In doing so, the documentary reframes Wings not as a footnote to the Beatles, but as a necessary and deeply personal step in McCartney’s evolution as an artist.
Directed by Morgan Neville, the film relies heavily on archival footage and home movies, many of them centered on Paul and Linda’s early years together. Neville, known for music-driven documentaries that prioritize intimacy over spectacle, positions the story less as a career retrospective and more as a study of resilience. McCartney is shown grappling with the expectations placed on him while trying to rediscover a sense of purpose outside the shadow of The Beatles.
Linda McCartney emerges as a central figure in the narrative. “I felt very depressed, but I was very lucky because I had Linda,” McCartney says in the trailer. Their partnership is portrayed as both emotional and creative, grounding McCartney during a time when his confidence was shaken. The couple met in 1967 and married in 1969, remaining together until Linda’s death from breast cancer in 1998. The documentary frames their relationship as a stabilizing force that allowed McCartney to take creative risks again, even when public opinion was uncertain.
The film charts Wings’ uneven early reception, particularly the muted response to Wild Life, before moving toward the breakthrough success of Band on the Run. Released in 1973, the album marked a turning point, restoring McCartney’s confidence and reestablishing him as a vital, forward-looking artist. “When we started Wings, it was about freedom,” McCartney says. “We felt we’d finally arrived.” The statement reflects not commercial validation, but a sense of artistic independence that had been difficult to achieve in the immediate aftermath of the Beatles’ split.
Man on the Run also briefly addresses McCartney’s relationship with John Lennon during that transitional period. “Me and John we were just growing apart,” he says in the trailer. “We’d had arguments and all of that, but we loved each other all our lives.” The comment is delivered without bitterness, underscoring the film’s broader tone: reflective rather than revisionist.
In addition to archival footage, the documentary will include behind-the-scenes material from Wings’ tours and previously unreleased music, offering a fuller picture of a period often overshadowed by McCartney’s earlier and later achievements. Neville produces the film alongside Chloe Simmons and Meghan Walsh for Tremolo, with Scott Rodger and Ben Chappell representing MPL, and Michele Anthony and David Blackman producing for Polygram Entertainment.
In a previous statement, Anthony described the film as an exploration of reinvention. “How do you rediscover yourself after being in the biggest band the world has ever known?” she said. “At its heart, it’s a story of Linda and Paul’s enduring love as he finds his own voice as an artist.”
