Why Eminem Finally Said Yes to a Documentary: It's Not About Him, It's About the Obsessed Fans

When a hip-hop icon consistently turns down documentary offers year after year, you know they’re waiting for the right story. Eminem’s first feature-length documentary, Stans, proves he was. Rather than another traditional biography rehashing his rise and conquests, this Paramount+ project arriving August 26 does something radically different: it puts his obsessed fanbase front and center.

The Song That Started It All

Before Stans the film, there was “Stan” the phenomenon. Released in 2000 on The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem’s narrative track—built around a Dido sample—peaked at No. 51 on the Hot 100. It told the story of an obsessed, violent admirer, coining a term that would outlive the song itself by decades. The word “stan” has since become shorthand for devoted fandom across all music genres, transcending its original dark context. That cultural staying power is what caught Eminem’s attention. His longtime manager Paul Rosenberg explains the turning point: “The phenomenon of the idea of a stan just kept growing” beyond the song itself, making it perfect material for exploring fan culture itself.

Why Traditional Documentaries Didn’t Work

Eminem’s hesitation wasn’t ego. As Rosenberg clarifies, the artist simply rejected the typical retrospective formula. “He feels like those are the types of documentaries that people do when they’re either at the end of their career, or it’s the kind of thing that’s done on you when you’re no longer here.” With Eminem still releasing chart-dominating albums and performing at major events like the Super Bowl LVI halftime show, a career-capping look-back made no sense. The shift to focusing on the fanbase—rather than the artist—solved the puzzle.

From Pitch to Screen: The Collaborative Vision

Director Steven Leckart, an Eminem fan since 1999, approached the project like a narrative thriller rather than a standard documentary. Working with filmmaker Antoine Fuqua, Leckart proposed something visually bold: shooting against red curtains to create a surreal, heightened reality. “We gave it this added cinematic element… to really pull you into this world and make you wonder what was real and what wasn’t,” he explains. When the filmmakers learned the project was headed to theaters, they made a conscious decision: “Let’s make a fucking movie.”

Unearthed Footage and Archival Gold

Digging through Eminem’s archives revealed treasures. Rosenberg jokes the collection wasn’t “a neatly organized vault”—it was raw material requiring detective work. Leckart and his team recovered original footage from the “Stan” music video, previously unseen reels, and collaborated with the rapper’s longtime associates to piece together forgotten moments. This obsessed attention to detail became central to authenticity.

The Real Stars: Eminem’s Fanbase

What elevates Stans beyond typical celebrity content is its focus on the fans themselves. The documentary features devoted supporters from all walks of life, sharing deeply personal connections to Eminem’s work and how his music shaped their identities. Rosenberg emphasizes the approach: “It was very important to me to treat the subjects, who happen to be huge fans, with a tremendous amount of respect.” Leckart’s skill was finding people whose stories were “not just incredibly touching, but were also very relatable and very likable.”

Reclaiming “Stan” From Negativity

Over time, “stan” acquired negative connotations—implying obsessive, toxic behavior. Stans the film reframes the narrative entirely. Rather than dwelling in the darkness of the original song, it explores how pop culture creates identity and forges social bonds. “The idea of a stan to me is just somebody who’s a huge fan of something,” Rosenberg states. “You can be a stan of cheeseburgers, whatever it is. And I don’t really think that it has to be negative.” Leckart adds: “It would be a disservice to Eminem’s art and to his fans to make a film that didn’t feel like a massive thank you. This movie is a big thank you.”

The Interview No One Expected

As both subject and producer, Eminem gave Leckart access that feels unusually candid. “It is the best interview I’ve ever done,” the director recalls of their conversations about the toughest chapters of his life and career. There’s no evidence of sanitization or carefully constructed narratives—just raw, difficult truths. That authenticity runs through the entire project, ultimately celebrating the idea that devoted fans will support an artist regardless of controversy, for better or worse.

Stans hits AMC theaters before its Paramount+ premiere on August 26, offering audiences a fresh take on what celebrity documentation can be when the camera finally turns away from the star and toward the people who made them legendary.