Morgan Spurlock has carved out a reputation for himself as a documentary master, covering global issues like fast food and politics. So why exactly did he take on the British boy band One Direction for his latest project?

One DirectionOne Direction posing with Morgan Spurlock

You don’t have to look too far beyond 1D’s incredible fan base to get your answer. Ample, dedicated - sometimes to the point of insanity – and primarily constituted of teenage girls, the British quintet can’t be dismissed as a passing fad. They’re a monumental part of culture, for some, hence Spurlock’s involvement.

“I actually lobbied for this job,” Spurlock told The Telegraph. “This is probably the closest I’ll get in my whole lifetime to seeing anything similar to Beatlemania. The access we got, the stories we tell… I just think it’s remarkable.”

One Direction: This Is Us is due out on August 29th in the U.K - 30th in the U.S - and comes hot on the heels of the Channel 4 documentary, Crazy About One Direction, which was perceived by some fans as offensive, as it made them look somewhat crazed. One look at Twitter will give you an indication as to their thoughts. For Spurlock, that’s not the goal, even if Channel 4 were aiming to enflame.

Morgan SpurlockSpurlock jumped at the chance to film 1D

“The goal for me with this movie was to explore why them, why now, who they are, and what got them there,” he says. “We’re looking at the five of them, and their families, and this amazing ride they’re on – I mean, to be documenting this time when the elevator’s shooting through the roof for them, and the rocket ship’s flying through the sky, and they’re just about to go into the – is there a layer above the stratosphere?”

Watch the One Direction This Is Us trailer: