Peter Jackson's Next Film Project is a Documentary on The Beatles Called LET IT BE
Peter Jackson’s most recent film project that was released was a stunning World War I documentary called They Shall Not Grow Old. Well, the Lord of the Rings filmmaker isn’t finished with making documentaries!
Variety is reporting, on the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ rooftop concert on top of Apple Records in London, that Jackson will direct a documentary on the legendary band called Let It Be. The film will be created using “55 hours of in-studio footage that were shot in early 1969 for the 1970 feature film Let It Be.” Jackson had this to say in a statement:
“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.”
It’s being speculated that the documentary will be released in 2020 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the “Let It Be” album and movie.
As you may have heard, there are rumors about how there was a lot of tension in the recording studio between the band members. It was recorded a year before the band broke up. Turns out those rumors weren’t true. Jackson said:
“I was relieved to discover the reality is very different to the myth. 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. 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. … I’m thrilled and honored to have been entrusted with this remarkable footage. Making the movie will be a sheer joy.”
It was also announced that director Michael Lindsay-Hogg‘s original Let it Be film will be restored and released digitally following the release of Jackson’s documentary. Jackson also plans to use the same techniques he used in his WWI doc to clean up the footage:
The original “Let It Be” film was shot in 16mm and not exactly known for its pristine cinematography. So one point of considerable interest with the new film is that Jackson plans to spruce up the footage using some of the same techniques used for his highly acclaimed World War I documentary, “They Shall Not Grow Old.” As on that doc, which recently had sold-out single-day engagements in U.S. theaters, Jackson, his producer Clare Olssen and editor Jabez Olssen will be relying on the restorative powers of Park Road Post in New Zealand to make those 50-year-old reels look less dated.
I’m pretty excited about this doc! Like many of you, I’m a big fan of The Beatles, and It’ll be fun seeing this candid footage of them rocking out together, writing music, and seeing them just interact with each other.
What do you think about Jackson taking on the Beatles documentary?