A documentary exploring Stan Lee’s turbulent final years has found a home.
Osmosis Global has acquired the rights Stan Lee: The Final Yearswhich was directed and edited by Lee’s former collaborator John Bolerjack based on hundreds of hours of footage he shot before Lee’s death at age 95 in 2018.
Osmosis is now in the stages of figuring out a release plan. But first, some audiences will be able to see the film on June 27 at the Dances with Film Festival in Los Angeles.
Final years It caused a stir when its existence was revealed in March 2025. Bollerjack sought funds to complete it, raising approximately $85,000. It is estimated that the film cost about $500,000 to produce in total, between filming costs, legal fees, and post-production.
It has already been well reported that Lee, the comic book industry’s most famous creator known for the X-Men, Spider-Man and many others, has had a challenging final few years. A Hollywood Reporter The investigation explored allegations of elder abuse as several people struggled to control his care and property. Bolerjack says his camera shows live what happened, including transporting an exhausted and exhausted Lee to numerous signings and appearances.
He also says one of the alleged perpetrators tried to stop the film from being released — hence the legal fees to make the film airtight against potential issues.
Despite the heavy subject matter, Bolerjack says the film has a lot of fun moments with Lee as well (see the clip below).
The director confirmed that although he witnessed the violations, he did not feel able to stop them, and therefore picked up his camera to try to document them for future generations. He says Lee was aware of the idea for the documentary, and gave it his blessing.
“Watching the treatment that Stan endured during those last years, especially at his age, really changes you,” Bolerjack said. “The people around him thought they were untouchable, and I felt a responsibility to document what was happening. It took ten years to finish this film, but sharing the truth about those years is something I owe to Stan and his fans.”
Convrsly Productions is behind the project and it is produced by George Chan and Bolerjack. Alex Barajas is executive producer.
“The demand for water-cooling moments with a built-in fanbase has never been higher, and we are laser-focused on working with talented storytellers to connect as many audiences as possible to the powerful stories they tell,” said Osmosis President Eli Shibley.
