Rush’s Neil Peart Will Be Explored in New Documentary ‘No One’s Disciple’

As Rush gears up for the first Canadian dates of their reunion tour, their late band member Neil Peart will be explored in a new documentary.

The late Canadian drummer will be the centre of Neil Peart: No One’s Disciple, a new documentary produced by Canadian company Banger Films. It’s scheduled to air on CBC on Sept. 23.

Peart was Rush's primary lyricist and a songwriter for the band until he died in 2020, penning the group’s biggest hits like “Fly By Night” and “Closer To The Heart.”

According to CBC, No One’s Disciple will document “the late Canadian musician’s tough start as a young artist, followed by his meteoric rise.” It will feature intimate conversations with Peart’s former bandmates, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, along with “reflections of other acclaimed drummers,” who were impacted by Peart.

The documentary will include unreleased Rush live performances, with artists including Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith, The Police’s Stewart Copeland and Tool’s Danny Carey playing in Peart’s seat at the drum kit.

“I think it matters for me to play better all the time, and to play my best all the time, to keep it fresh and changing. It’s kind of my responsibility, I see it, as a drummer,” Peart says in an archival interview featured in the film.

L-R: Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Chad SmithBanger Films

Following Peart’s death, the band shared they wouldn’t go on tour, but would continue “jamming” together. Lee and Lifeson previously stated their regrets about shortening their final tour, but did so to honour Peart’s wishes, who was “adamant” that the group adhered to its agreement of playing 30 shows.

“That to him was a huge compromise because he didn’t want to do any shows,” Lee told Classic Rock in 2025. “He didn’t want to do one show.”

With Rush hitting the road this year, they’ve enlisted a new drummer, Anika Nilles, to play in Peart’s place. In a previous interview with CBC, Lee explained that onboarding Nilles “was a bit of a daunting task,” but it’s proven to be a fruitful experience for her and the surviving Rush members.

“We had to go through each song and explain the idiosyncratic nature of how our songs are put together,” he said. “At times, she was a bit overwhelmed, but she’s got a really positive attitude and that’s really good for Alex and I to be around.”

This week, Rush kicks off their Canadian reunion tour dates, performing four nights in Toronto. In September, they’ll play two nights in Montreal. Following a string of shows across the U.S., they'll wrap up the expanded trek in Edmonton and Vancouver this December.