Film And TV
09 Oct 23

Ebs Burnough’s Jack Kerouac Documentary Begins Filming

Jack Kerouac listening to himself on the radio, 1959 printed 1984, 1959/1984 by John Cohen

A feature documentary about the late American novelist’s seminal novel On The Road is in the works via Universal Pictures, directed by Ebs Burnough and produced by Ventureland.

According to a Variety exclusive, the Universal Pictures documentary film The Beat of a Nation: Kerouac’s Road is in the works, with production commencing this week. Produced by London-based banner Ventureland, the film will revolve around beat poet and novelist Jack Kerouac’s 20th century novel On The Road, a classical novel of freedom and longing which maintains its importance today.

Director Ebs Burnough made his directorial debut with the documentary The Capote Tapes, a feature which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and showcased the significance of Truman Capote’s unfinished novel Answered Prayers. The director, who currently chairs the Sundance Institute's board of trustees, was formerly the White House deputy social secretary and senior advisor to First Lady Michelle Obama before venturing into cinematic territory.

The Beat of a Nation: Kerouac’s Road will utilise the novel as a backdrop for the modern U.S. political and cultural landscape, according to the Variety exclusive. Burnough will use unseen personal archives of Kerouac’s, giving the author a voice in his own story, along with interviews with creatives inspired by the author’s work and testimonies from modern, free-thinking “on-the-roaders.”

The feature documentary is produced by London-based Ventureland’s John Battsek (The Rescue, Searching For Sugar Man) and Eliza Hindmarch (Kid 90, The September Issue) in collaboration with the Kerouac Estate’s executive producer Jim Sampas.

Of the story, Burnough shares, “On the Road is an iconic work of American literature. Jack Kerouac and his journeys across the nation defined an era that encouraged future generations to see America in a different way.

“I believe that together (with Universal Pictures Content Group and Ventureland) we can explore a contemporary understanding of the literature, the man and the times.”

Co-producer and Oscar-winning documentary maker Battsek adds that Burnough “has a unique and very creative perspective on the story we want to tell.”