Let it Be: Peter Jackson to Direct Beatles Film Based on Unreleased Footage
Peter Jackson has signed on to direct a Beatles documentary based on over 55 hours of unreleased video footage from the original ‘Let it Be’ sessions.
Best known for his years of work bringing J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies to life, New Zealand director Peter Jackson has found a new dense project to take up his time. (Read about the films that have inspired Jackson's work here.)
Set to be pulled from over 55 hours of never-before-seen footage recorded from the original “Let it Be” sessions, Jackson announced his collaboration with the Beatles’ record company Apple and with the approval from Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison.
In an official statement from Peter Jackson:
“The 55 hours of never-before-seen footage and 140 hours of audio made available to us ensure this movie will be the ultimate ‘fly on the wall’ experience that Beatles fans have long dreamt about. It’s like a time machine transports us back to 1969, and we get to sit in the studio watching these four friends make great music together.”
Originally shot by documentary filmmaker Michael Lindsay-Hogg just 18 months before the group broke up, the project promises to be a rare in-depth behind-the-scenes look into the band’s recording process at the height of their success and popularity.
Jackson seems to be in the documentary groove with his most previous world war doc project They Shall Not Grow Old just now hitting theaters and off to a good start at the box office. You can read our full write-up on it here as well.
The announcement of Jackson's involvement comes today on the on the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' rooftop concert atop the Apple Records offices in London by Apple Corps Ltd. and WingNut Films Ltd., Jackson’s production company.
