King Diamond has confirmed that a feature-length documentary about his life has been in production for roughly three years, with the filmmakers going far beyond a conventional account of his work with Mercyful Fate and his namesake band.
Speaking with Metal Injection’s Frank Godla, the Danish singer revealed that the production team has extensively researched his pre-fame years. The film has tracked down former members of Brainstorm, his first heavy rock band from 1976, as well as musicians from Black Rose, and uncovered live footage dating back to the late 1970s showing some of Diamond’s earliest performances as a singer.
The project has been officially listed under the working title King Diamond – Unmasked. Danish journalist and filmmaker Frederik Brun Madsen is directing, with a screenplay by Peter Engel. Official documentation from Midtnorsk Filmsenter lists UpNorth Film as the Norwegian co-producer, represented by Christian Aune Falch, Torstein Parelius and Sondre Johansen, in a co-production involving Wingman Media. The project received Norwegian production funding in 2026.
The official project synopsis adds a present-day dimension. Rather than existing solely as a retrospective, the film follows Diamond during a later stage of his life as he works to complete his long-awaited comeback album, connecting archival history with the creative process unfolding now.
The documentary has also entered the European film circuit, appearing among the projects presented through Nordisk Panorama’s Work in Progress program, where Wingman Media was credited as producer alongside co-production partners from Norway, Iceland and the Czech Republic.
There is currently no announced release date, final running time or distribution plan, and King Diamond – Unmasked remains a working title rather than a confirmed final name.
What is already evident is the scope. By reaching back to Brainstorm, Black Rose and recordings made years before the theatrical makeup and landmark albums, the film is positioning itself as a portrait of the person behind one of heavy metal’s most distinctive identities rather than simply another career chronology.
