January 30, 2019
Academy Award winning director Peter Jackson will direct a new documentary that follows the production of The Beatle’s twelfth and final album, “Let It Be."
The film has the full support and cooperation of the the last living members and widows: Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon, and Olivia Harrison.
In compiling the new film, Jackson will have over 55 hours of never-released footage and 140 hours of audio to pick from. The original footage was recorded by Michael Lindsay-Hogg from Jan. 2 and Jan. 31 1969.
The footage was originally intended for a TV special, but pieces of it slowly became Lindsay-Hogg’s "Let It Be" documentary film released just after the album in May 1970. While people have speculated the album and film may allude to the band's shifting dynamics, Jackson says the footage shows something quite different.
"I was relieved to discover the reality is very different to the myth,” he said in a statement on Wednesday. "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."
Jackson, known for directing "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Ring" franchises, has most recently released the World War I documentary "They Shall Not Grow Old" to critical acclaim. It was nominated for Best Documentary at the 2019 BAFTA ceremony.
"This movie will be the ultimate 'fly-on-the-wall' experience that Beatles fans have long dreamt about," Jackson said. "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.”
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