They were the biggest band in the world during the 60s. 12 studio albums, 13 EP’s, 227 songs. It was a whirlwind of a decade ending almost 50 years ago and yet over the years, The Beatles as a band and as solo artists have been kept alive for younger generations to discover, appreciate and love.
The last public performance by the band occurred on January, 30th 1969. It was impromptu, staged on top of Apple Records’ London office at 3 Savile Row, intended to be a shoot for a TV special.
50 years later – On January 30th, 2019, The Beatles have announced a new partnership, resulting in a brand new film. “We are proud to announce an exciting collaboration between The Beatles and acclaimed Academy Award winning director Sir Peter Jackson.”
“The new film will be based around 55 hours of never-released footage of The Beatles in the studio, shot between January 2nd and January 31st, 1969. These studio sessions produced The Beatles’ Grammy Award winning album Let It Be, with its Academy Award winning title song. The album was eventually released 18 months later in May 1970, several months after the band had broken up.”
“The filming was originally intended for a planned TV special, but organically turned into something completely different, climaxing with The Beatles’ legendary performance on the roof of Apple’s Savile Row London office.”
Sir Peter Jackson is a New Zealand born Producer & Director, best known for The Hobbit trilogy, The Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong (2005). In reference to the new film Jackson said, “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 that Beatles fans have long dreamt about.”
“I was relieved to discover the reality is very different to the myth,” he continues, “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 honoured to have been entrusted with this remarkable footage – making the movie will be a sheer joy.”
The untitled film is currently in production with the full co-operation of Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon, and Olivia Harrison. The release date will be announced in due course.
Any predictions of what the film will be called? We can’t wait to hear (and see!) more.
