Black Keys singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach collaborated with Dr. John a few years before the late New Orleans legend’s death in 2019. (They’re pictured together above.) Auerbach has also devoted the bulk of his career to celebrating the classic music of the American South. So when Auerbach announced last week that his directorial debut would be a documentary about Dr. John, it made all kinds of sense. However, Dr. John’s estate doesn’t approve.

A statement from the estate reads as follows:

The Official Estate of Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr., p/k/a Dr. John, clarifies that the Estate has not authorized the recently announced documentary on the life of Dr. John purportedly to be produced by Impact Artist Productions (and Management) and Radical Media. For clarity, Impact Artist Productions (and Management) does not manage or speak for the Estate, which has its own team with, as Mac would say, a gang and a half of legalizers. The Estate thanks Mac’s fans for their support and assures that the Estate will “Walk On Guilded Splinters” to deliver new music and an officially authorized documentary, to be announced In The Right Place at the right time.

Auerbach’s as-yet-untitled film is to be co-produced by RadicalMedia, one of the companies involved with Questlove’s recent directorial debut Summer Of Soul.