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The Leader

Play trailer The Leader 2026 1h 44m Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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The Leader tells the unsettling true story of the religious movement known as “Heaven's Gate”: the UFO cult that convinced dozens to abandon their lives and await evacuation from planet Earth. Heaven’s Gate shocked the world in 1997, when thirty-nine followers committed the largest mass suicide to ever take place on US soil. The film chronicles the leaders "Ti & Do" during their fateful meeting in Houston, Texas in the early 1970s through their tragic and disturbing end in Rancho Santa Fe, California in ‘97. The incident became a major global media event -- marked by the group’s matching uniforms, purple shrouds, and Nike sneakers.

Cast & Crew

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Michael J. Gallagher

Director

Tim Blake Nelson

Marshall Herff Applewhite

Vera Farmiga

Bonnie Lu Nettles

Jim Parsons

Warren

Grace Caroline Currey

Michelle

Simon Rex

David
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The Leader

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Movie Info

Synopsis The Leader tells the unsettling true story of the religious movement known as “Heaven's Gate”: the UFO cult that convinced dozens to abandon their lives and await evacuation from planet Earth. Heaven’s Gate shocked the world in 1997, when thirty-nine followers committed the largest mass suicide to ever take place on US soil. The film chronicles the leaders "Ti & Do" during their fateful meeting in Houston, Texas in the early 1970s through their tragic and disturbing end in Rancho Santa Fe, California in ‘97. The incident became a major global media event -- marked by the group’s matching uniforms, purple shrouds, and Nike sneakers.
Director
Michael J. Gallagher
Producer
Michael J. Gallagher, Jana Winternitz, Michael Wormser, Joel David Moore, Matthew Murphie
Screenwriter
Michael J. Gallagher
Genre
Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 44m