New Red Hot Chili Peppers Documentary Headed to Netflix

The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers explores the band's origins and the lasting impact of founding guitarist Hillel Slovak.

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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A new documentary tracing the origins of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the lasting impact of founding guitarist Hillel Slovak is set to premiere on Netflix on March 20. The film, directed by Ben Feldman, revisits the band's early days in the 1980s Los Angeles music scene and spotlights the childhood bond between bassist Flea and singer Anthony Kiedis.

Why it matters

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of the most influential and successful rock bands of the past few decades, and this documentary promises to provide a rare, personal look at the relationships and creative vision that defined the band's identity before their global fame.

The details

The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers was previously screened at the Cannes Film Festival and in private showings in New York and Los Angeles. The documentary explores how Slovak's creative vision shaped the group's signature sound before his death from a drug overdose in 1988 at the age of 26. The film features interviews with founding members and those close to Slovak.

  • The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers will premiere on Netflix on March 20, 2026.
  • The documentary was previously screened at the Cannes Film Festival and in private showings in New York and Los Angeles.

The players

Ben Feldman

The director of The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers documentary.

Hillel Slovak

The founding guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, whose creative vision and lasting impact are explored in the documentary.

Flea

The bassist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, whose childhood bond with singer Anthony Kiedis helped spark the band's enduring career.

Anthony Kiedis

The singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, whose childhood bond with bassist Flea helped spark the band's enduring career.

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What they’re saying

“It's a true honor to partner with Netflix to bring The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers to a global audience. At its heart, this is a deeply relatable story — about the friendships that shape our identities and the lasting power of the bonds forged in adolescence. What's less relatable, of course, is that here those friends went on to create one of the greatest rock bands in history.”

— Ben Feldman, Director (Sanilac Broadcasting)

What’s next

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are set to release their jazz-leaning solo debut album, Honora, on March 27, 2026, just one week after the premiere of the documentary on Netflix.

The takeaway

The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers promises to provide a rare, personal look at the relationships and creative vision that defined the band's identity before their global fame, offering fans a deeper understanding of the origins and lasting impact of one of rock's most enduring acts.