A new documentary is set to pull back the curtain on the heartbreaking final chapter of Stan Lee’s life. Stan Lee: The Final Chapter will shed light on how the Marvel Comics icon was exploited by those closest to him in his final years. I’ve got a trailer and a clip for you to watch below.
The film was directed by Jon Bolerjack, who spent four years working as one of Lee’s assistants, and the film is built on hundreds of hours of footage capturing the people in Lee’s inner circle, including those who took advantage of him as his health declined.
Lee was a fixture at conventions in his later years, where his presence generated huge profits through autographs and photo ops. However, much of that money “was never to be seen by Lee or his family.”
The documentary will explore how Lee was pushed to keep working despite his frailty, all while those around him lined their pockets.
Bolerjack, who witnessed these events firsthand, describes his time with Lee as both a dream and a devastating reality check:
“It was an absolute dream come true for me to get to intimately know, befriend and travel the world with one of my life’s icons, Stan Lee. He entrusted me to capture the final years of his life on video and encouraged me to share this footage with the world after he was gone.
“And after witnessing how a handful of people who surrounded him continually betrayed him in his weakened condition, I felt it was left to me to tell this shockingly and truly heartbreaking story of his last days.”
Lee himself tried to fight back. In the months leading up to his passing in November 2018, he filed a restraining order against his former business partner Keya Morgan, who was later arrested on elder abuse charges. P
olice reports claimed Morgan manipulated Lee, convincing him he was in danger and needed to be relocated. Lee even filed lawsuits against his ex-manager and attorney, calling them “unscrupulous businessmen, sycophants and opportunists.”
Bolerjack has spent the past four years pouring his own money into completing Stan Lee: The Final Chapter, but now, to ensure the film reaches audiences, he’s turning to Kickstarter.
The crowdfunding campaign launches today, with the goal of raising funds to finish post-production and get the film released before the end of the year.
For fans who admired Lee and his contribution to Marvel and pop-culture as a whole, this documentary will be a difficult but necessary watch.
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