Long lost George Michael film and live album set for release later this year

A long lost film centered on George Michael’s landmark 1988 Faith tour is set for cinema release later this year, in addition to a new album of previously unheard live performances.George Michael: The Faith Tour is being lined up for a global big screen rollout, with footage taken from a previously unseen 14 camera shoot of Michael’s performance at Paris’ Bercy Arena in 1988. A press release bills the project as a tour de force in archival film-making, celebrating Michael’s ambition and artistry at its peak.The film will be directed by the singer’s longtime collaborators Andy Morahan and David Austin. The project comes from George Michael Entertainment and Mercury Studios, with release date and distribution details yet to be revealed.The film will be presented alongside a new short film from photographer Mary McCartney which includes voiceover from a previously unheard Michael interview as well as behind the scenes footage of Michael’s iconic Faith video by American photographer Herb Ritts.An 18-track live album titled The Faith Tour is also on the way and will feature previously unreleased Wham! recordings as well as Michael solo material.Michael’s Faith album is widely regarded as one of the defining pop albums of the 1980s, with over 25m global sales and four US number one singles including Faith, Father Figure, One More Try and Monkey.Writing in the Guardian, Alan McGee described the album as Michael’s masterpiece, writing: “Faith (the album) was classic pop. It found Michael moving into Brian Wilson Pet Sounds territory,” adding that the artist co-produced, wrote all the songs, played most of the instruments and sang backing vocals and harmonies.Previously, Morahan and Austin directed the 2017 documentary George Michael: Freedom, which spotlit the singer’s initial hunger for fame as well as his subsequent disillusionment with the music industry. Michael was putting the finishing touches to the documentary before his death in 2016.Michael has rarely been far from the public consciousness or the charts since his death. In 2017, the Michael estate teamed with legendary producer Nile Rodgers to release a new remixed version of his 1990 B side Fantasy. In 2019, the festive romcom Last Christmas centered on Michael and Wham! songs, with a soundtrack that included the singer’s previously unheard solo track This Is How (We Want You to Get High).Wham!’s song Last Christmas has become a seasonal perennial and was the UK Christmas number one in 2023 and 2024. In 2025, it was unseated by Kylie Minogue’s new festive single Xmas. Meanwhile, Michael’s classic single Father Figure trended on TikTok last year after being featured in the steamy Nicole Kidman film Babygirl.This month, the art book publisher Rizzoli will publish Celebrating George: Three Decades of George Michael through the Lens, a coffee table book which includes many unseen images of Michael throughout his career.