Netflix has officially acquired the global distribution rights to Avedon, an upcoming feature documentary directed by Academy Award winner Ron Howard detailing the career and legacy of photographer Richard Avedon. The streaming platform plans to launch the feature worldwide later this year alongside a targeted awards season campaign.

The project represents a joint production from Imagine Documentaries and Fifth Season, produced in association with The Richard Avedon Foundation. Howard and Brian Grazer serve as producers alongside Imagine Entertainment President Justin Wilkes, Imagine Documentaries President Sara Bernstein, Dallas Brennan Rexer, and Christopher St. John. Executive producers include Meredith Kaulfers, Mary Lisio, Chris Rice, and Graham Taylor.

Avedon made its world premiere as an Official Selection Special Screening at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in May 2026. The non-fiction narrative draws from access to Avedon’s private archives, integrating unseen still photographs, personal audio recordings, and behind-the-scenes footage alongside original interviews with his family members, colleagues, and creative muses. The film examines Avedon’s multi-decade trajectory across fashion, portraiture, commercial work, and civil rights photography, tracking his impact on visual culture prior to his passing in 2004 at age 81.

The acquisition extends an ongoing production partnership between Netflix and Imagine Documentaries. The two companies previously collaborated on the biographical documentary Marty, Life Is Short, which recently earned three Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special.

Netflix will set an official streaming release date and platform launch window for Avedon later in the calendar year.