Netflix has acquired The Disciple: A Wu-Tang Fable, the Sundance-premiering documentary from Oscar-winning filmmaker Joanna Natasegara, and will release the film on October 16.
The documentary follows Tarik Azzougarh, a Dutch-Moroccan rapper and producer known as Cilvaringz, whose devotion to Wu-Tang Clan took him from teenage superfan to collaborator and eventually into the group’s extended creative circle. Mentored by RZA, his journey culminated in one of the most unusual music projects of the 21st century: Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, a 31-track album recorded in secret over six years, sealed in an ornate handcrafted silver case and conceived as a deliberate rebuke to the economics of the streaming era. Only one copy was ever made.
In 2015, the album was auctioned off to the highest bidder for roughly $2 million, making it the most expensive musical work ever sold, under terms barring any commercial release until 2103. The buyer was Martin Shkreli, the controversial pharmaceutical executive who was later convicted of federal securities fraud, adding another layer of notoriety to an already polarizing project.
The Disciple marks Natasegara’s feature directorial debut. She previously won an Oscar with Netflix for the short documentary The White Helmets in 2016. RZA serves as executive producer and contributor on the film.
“For the last five years making this film has been a labour of love and discovery for me,” Natasegara said. “Initially I was inspired by a teenhood love of Wu-Tang and a story about the secret album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin too intriguing to miss. In the making I discovered so much more about why Tarik, myself, and so many of us idolise them. They stand for so much that is so needed right now: community, talent, tenacity, innovation and love.”
The film had its world premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. It is produced by Abigail Anketell-Jones, Lauren Dark and Vanessa Kirby. Executive producers include RZA, Joe Gebbia, Jason Ropell and Abazar Khayami; David Kimbangi, Farhana Bhula and Ollie Madden for Film4; and Trevor Burgess, Gary Hess and James Costa for Bird Street Productions. Editors are Chloe Lambourne and Chris Dickens.
The Disciple: A Wu-Tang Fable is a Netflix Documentary in association with Studio Gebbia, Film4, 36 Cinema and Sony Music Vision, an Aluna Entertainment and Violet Films production. It arrives on Netflix October 16.