Rushisaband.com is reporting that the long-anticipated RUSH documentary is finally finished and will be making its theatrical debut sometime this spring. The word is that the band and their management have screened the entire film and given it the green light. The details of the theatrical release are still being worked out but it will most likely be a limited release of some kind at a film festival or festivals. It will also supposedly air on VH1 some time in the late spring and be released on DVD later this year.

The Rush documentary is being created by filmmakers Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen (Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, Global Metal and IRON MAIDEN's Flight 666).

The special Rush issue of Classic Rock Presents ... Prog contained a sidebar article where Dunn and McFadyen were interviewed by Classic Rock's Jerry Ewing. An excerpt follows:

"Geddy had been in Metal: A Headbanger's Journey and we were thinking about other bands we could work with," explains McFadyen. "We felt that Rush had always been overlooked by the critics so we met them on tour and they liked what we said. We started working on it, then Iron Maiden came about so we took a break to do that and raised the financing for the Rush film. We've started on it now and done a load of interviews so now we're editing with a load of archival footage.

We've been lucky, not only have we had access to [Rush management] SRO's archives but also Geddy, Alex and Neil's own personal archives," enthuses director Dunn. "Geddy's definitely the premier band archivist. He has a massive collection of photographs and clippings. We even got our hands on Neil's handwritten lyric sheets from back when they were making Fly By Night, 2112 and A Farewell To Kings, and I don't think they've ever been seen before."

And as for the reclusive Peart?

"Neil's very private but that's understandable given everything that he's gone through," muses Dunn. "But what we found was that when you get Neil on a motorbike in a remote area, the kid comes out in him. So we have filmed Neil riding through Quebec, parts of Europe and California and we've found that when you sit down with Neil, one on one, he loves to talk. And Rush fans know that he's smart and articulate and always has something interesting to say."

The as-yet untitled film will also feature contributions from a host of musicians who have toured with or been inspired by Rush, including BILLY CORGAN, TRENT REZNOR, TOOL, FOO FIGHTERS, KISS, URIAH HEEP and PRIMUS.

Watch out for exclusive footage of the three members interacting with each other in the band's unique way.

"We got some rare backstage footage in Europe," Says Dunn. "And the camaraderie between the three really comes across. They're almost telepathic and I think that's what's been behind their great success. They have such a deep understanding of each other's personalities and of each other's strengths. That's something that's pretty amazing to see and what we want to convey in the film."