Peter Jackson’s next project isn’t a fantasy blockbuster as we might have expected. Instead, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker decided to jump on the opportunity to direct a documentary about the recording of The Beatles’ legendary 1969 album Let it Be.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the documentary will be based on the previously unreleased 55 hours of footage that shows the iconic band in the studio during the recording sessions.
The footage was initially meant to be used for a TV special, but those plans were ultimately scrapped, and the project ended up becoming Let It Be documentary by Michael Lindsay-Hogg.
Still, it is believed that Lindsay-Hogg’s film didn’t use the source material in the best way, and that there are still valuable scenes to be presented to the audience.
“The 55 hours of never-before-seen footage and 140 hours of audio made available to us ensures this movie will be the ultimate ‘fly on the wall’ experience … 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,” said Jackson.
This footage of the Let it Be recording sessions is especially important for fans of The Beatles, since it shows the band and the dynamics between its members just months before they disbanded. While there were rumors that this material also contained hints at the future problems between the band members, that might not be the case.
“After reviewing all the footage and audio that Michael Lindsay-Hogg shot 18 months before they broke up, it’s simply an amazing historical treasure-trove,” added Jackson.
“Sure, there’s moments of drama — but none of the discord this project has long been associated with. Watching John, Paul, George, and Ringo work together, creating now-classic songs from scratch, is not only fascinating — it’s funny, uplifting and surprisingly intimate.”
Peter Jackson’s documentary received the blessing from the two surviving members of The Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as John Lennon and George Harrison’s widows Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison.
