A new documentary, No Escape From Now, will chronicle the monumental health setbacks Ozzy Osbourne has experienced since 2019 and how he came to the decision to set up a farewell concert this summer in his hometown of Birmingham, England. The picture, which filmmaker Tania Alexander (Gogglebox) is directing, will premiere on Paramount+ later this year. Filming began in 2022 when Osbourne was recording his most recent album, Patient Number 9, and will continue through the July 5 concert, where Osbourne will take the stage a final time as a solo artist and with his original Black Sabbath bandmates.
The film will feature appearances by Osbourne’s wife and manager, Sharon, as well as several musicians who have played with him over the years: Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, guitarist Zakk Wylde, Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan, and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. It will also feature commentary from Billy Idol, Idol’s guitarist and Osbourne’s close friend Billy Morrison, Tool singer Maynard Keenan, and record producer Andrew Watt.
In 2019, Osbourne suffered a violent fall in the middle of the night, impacting spinal surgery he’d gotten several years earlier from an ATV accident. He’s undergone surgery several times since then to correct it but has not been able to perform live since, other than at a few short appearances. In 2020, the same year he released the album Ordinary Man, Osbourne revealed he’d been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which he has said has progressed to the point that he cannot walk. When Osbourne was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year as a solo artist, he stayed seated and did not perform.
“The last six years have been full of some of the worst times I’ve been through,” Osbourne said in a statement. “There’s been times when I thought my number was up. But making music and making two albums saved me. I’d have gone nuts without music. My fans have supported me for so many years, and I really want to thank them and say a proper goodbye to them. That is what the Villa Park show [in Birmingham] is about.”
“This film is an honest account of what has happened to Ozzy during the last few years,” Sharon said in a statement. “It shows how hard things have been for him and the courage he has shown while dealing with a number of serious health issues, including Parkinson’s. It’s about the reality of his life now. We have worked with a production team we trust and have allowed them the freedom to tell the story openly. We hope that story will inspire people that are facing similar issues to Ozzy.”
Earlier this month, Osbourne revealed that he will not be performing a full Black Sabbath set at the upcoming concert. “I’m not planning on doing a set with Black Sabbath, but I am doing little bits and pieces with them,” he told SiriusXM. “I am doing what I can, where I feel comfortable.” The concert will also feature performances by Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Tool, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, and many others.
