Fleetwood Mac authorized documentary arrives as Lindsey Buckingham hints at future activities: “Quite a few things will reveal themselves”

Aug 05, 1990 - Los Angeles, CA, USA - Fleetwood Mac members STEVIE NICKS, LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM, CHRISTINE MCVIE, MICK FLEETWOOD and JOHN MCVIE. Fleetwood Mac's album and single sales total more than 100 million, easily making them part of the list of best-selling music artists
Fleetwood Mac in 1990. (from left) Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie. (Image credit: Mario Ruiz/ZUMAPRESS.com/Alamy)

Fleetwood Mac will tell their story in their own words in Fleetwood Mac: The Chain, a fully authorized documentary directed by five-time Academy Award nominee Frank Marshall. The film will premiere globally on Apple TV on January 29, 2027, bringing together the memories and perspectives of Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.

The documentary traces the band's history from Buckingham and Nicks joining Fleetwood Mac on New Year's Eve 1974 through its rise to superstardom and the personal and professional turmoil that followed. It features previously unseen footage, new interviews and a deep dive into the catalog that helped Fleetwood Mac sell more than 220 million records worldwide.

The Chain explores the chemistry that made the band's music distinctive, as well as the complicated relationships that threatened to pull its members apart. The film's title comes from the song “The Chain,” the only track on the band's 1977 album Rumours credited to all five members.

#FleetwoodMacTheChain, a new documentary film, is streaming January 29 on Apple TV - YouTube #FleetwoodMacTheChain, a new documentary film, is streaming January 29 on Apple TV - YouTube
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“I'm fascinated by how this incredible story of enormous musical achievement came about,” Marshall said in 2024. “Fleetwood Mac somehow managed to merge their often chaotic and almost operatic personal lives into their own tale in real time, which then became legend. This will be a film about the music and the people who created it.”

The documentary's arrival coincides with the 50th anniversary of Rumours, one of rock's best-selling albums and the record that cemented Fleetwood Mac's status as global superstars. Its songs emerged from a period of upheaval within the band, as romantic breakups and personal tensions played out alongside the recording sessions.

Fleetwood Mac (L-R Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, John McVie and Lindsey Buckingham) pose for photographers backstage at the 5th American music Awards held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on January 16, 1978 in Santa Monica

Fleetwood Mac stand backstage at the 5th American Music Awards, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, January 16, 1978. (Image credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

The documentary also arrives amid renewed interest in the relationship between Buckingham and Nicks. When the pair reissued their 1973 debut album, Buckingham Nicks, in 2025, Nicks shared a letter she had written to her parents about Buckingham while recording the album, praising his guitar playing and predicting he would become one of the greats. The gesture offered a glimpse of their early bond after years of estrangement.

More recently, Buckingham said he and Nicks are “talking all the time now”, adding that 2027 should be a “pretty interesting year” and that “quite a few things will reveal themselves.” He stopped short of confirming any plans for a reunion or new music, but his comments have fueled speculation about what might come next.

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Elizabeth Swann is a devoted follower of prog-folk and has reported on the scene from far-flung places around the globe for Prog, Wired and Popular Mechanics She treasures her collection of rare live Bert Jansch and John Renbourn reel-to-reel recordings and souvenir teaspoons collected from her travels through the Appalachians. When she’s not leaning over her Stella 12-string acoustic, she’s probably bent over her workbench with a soldering iron, modding gear.