Beatles Film By Peter Jackson Received Special Preview at Universal Music Event
The still-untitled Beatles film being helmed by Academy Award-winning director Peter Jackson has yet to receive a release date, but things are clearly moving along on the project.
Per Variety, the film received “a top-secret preview” at the Universal Music showcase that took place during Grammy weekend. The preview was “several” minutes long, and it made a point to show that film, which is about the recording of Let It Be, really shows that the album’s recording sessions weren’t as tense as they’ve been historically perceived.
Apple Records chief Jeff Jones says of the Jackson-helmed film, “We have created a brand-new film that will attempt to bust the myth that the ‘Let It Be’ sessions were the final nail in the Beatles’ coffin.” Variety notes the film preview was “…brighter both visually and spiritually, with many, many shots of the Beatles joking around, making fun of each other, singing in silly accents and generally indulging in vintage Moptop hijinks. It also features many scenes of the group rehearsing songs from the “Abbey Road” album — their true swan song, which would be recorded over the following summer — and even rough versions of songs that would appear on solo records. On the basis of this clip, Beatles fans will lose their minds over this film.”
This new Beatles film was originally announced on January 30, 2019. Earlier this month, Beatles fan blog The Daily Beatle found a listing on Amazon for a book titled Get Back: The Beatles, and it’s slated for release on October 15, 2020. The site also reports the book will act as companion material with Jackson’s film, which will draw from 55 hours of never-released footage of The Beatles in the studio, shot between January 2-31, 1969. This footage came from the original filming of Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s documentary Let It Be, which ended with the famous rooftop concert.
Jackson said in a statement when the film was originally announced, “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 – 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.”
Like the most recent Beatles film, 2016’s The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years, this project is being made with the full cooperation of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon, and Olivia Harrison.
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