The Ballad Of Judas Priest, the official documentary chronicling the 50-plus-year history of the metal legends, received its North American premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival in Toronto on April 26. Following the screening, co-director Sam Dunn spoke to Now Toronto about one of the film’s most fraught negotiations: securing the participation of former Judas Priest guitarist Kenneth “K.K.” Downing. Dunn said, “The big one for Tom [Morello] was getting K.K. Downing involved. It was tricky at first attempt, because, obviously, he’s not in the band [anymore]. There’s still some animosity there, and, genuinely, it took some work to get K.K. on board. Frankly, I don’t know if Morello, if he hadn’t been there, it might have been a much, much bigger challenge. Tom Morello‘s a massive fan of the band, a big fan of K.K.‘s playing, so he really connected with K.K. and got him over the line. So, that’s a whole other story that wasn’t in the film.”
Dunn explained the limits on what Downing could address on camera: “There are still outstanding legal issues with K.K. and the band. This is the honest answer. And, so there’s a lot of caution exercised on both sides around what got said. We had to move through it without digging into all the details because it’s still fresh, still raw.”
On the decision not to include former Judas Priest singer Tim “Ripper” Owens — who fronted the band between 1996 and 2003 while Rob Halford pursued a solo career — Dunn said: “No. Controversial response, Judas Priest fans. Again, so much story. We wanted to obviously reference Tim, but it’s tricky. Not to get in the weeds, but in a story of this scale, when you’re into the second, third, or third quarter of the story, it’s like what to [include] and what not to [include] become big questions.”
In February 2026, Halford told Germany’s Metal Hammer that including Downing in the documentary was essential: “I think that the love and respect that we still have for each other is still there. And the fact that he’s as important to Judas Priest now as he was then in telling the story, it had to be that way — because he was there at the very beginning, before I even personally joined the band. The fact that we still play a lot of songs that K.K. wrote with me and with Glenn [Tipton] — it’s really important and vital. And I think it sends a message out to the fans that even though there is a separation, that respect for each other is important.”
Pressed on the possibility of a reunion, Halford said: “When you go to work with music, you really have to wanna get on that stage. You can’t hold anything back. You have to be there for the right reasons. If you’re not up there for the right reasons, then you don’t really have the right to be on that stage — you can’t just be going through the motions. And if you’re not feeling that, then you do what K.K. did.”
The Ballad Of Judas Priest received its world premiere at the 76th Berlinale International Film Festival in February. The film is a Banger Films production co-directed by Dunn and Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave, Prophets Of Rage), produced by Scot McFadyen and Dunn, and presented and distributed by Sony Music Vision.
Downing left Judas Priest in 2011 amid claims of internal conflict and was replaced by Richie Faulkner. In his 2018 autobiography Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest, Downing described sending two resignation letters — one measured, one furious — and later acknowledged the angrier letter as likely the reason he was never invited to return. He told Classic Rock magazine that the frustration behind it stemmed from guitarist Glenn Tipton‘s close relationship with manager Jayne Andrews, which he had resented since 1985.
Tipton was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease more than 15 years ago and announced in early 2018 that he would sit out touring in support of Firepower. He has been replaced on the road by producer and guitarist Andy Sneap — also known for his work with NWOBHM revivalists Hell and cult thrashers Sabbat. Judas Priest‘s current touring lineup is Halford, bassist Ian Hill, Faulkner, Sneap, and drummer Scott Travis. The band received the Musical Excellence Award at the 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony; the inductees included Downing, Hill, Halford, Tipton, Travis, and late drummers Les Binks and Dave Holland.
The post “The Ballad Of JUDAS PRIEST” Co-Director SAM DUNN On Getting K.K. DOWNING Involved: “It Was Tricky — There Are Still Outstanding Legal Issues” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.
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