Disney has acquired the theatrical distribution rights to Peter Jackson’s (Lord of the Rings) upcoming documentary The Beatles: Get Back, and will hit theaters on September 4. Bob Iger made the announcement at the company’s shareholder meeting.
The documentary will feature never before heard or seen studio sessions, as well as the groups’ final live performance on a rooftop in London. Iger stated the footage is “spectacular” and “looks like it was shot yesterday.”
It will include over 55 hours of in-studio footage that was shot in early 1969 for the 1970 feature film Let It Be. It is produced by Apple Corps Ltd and Jackson’s production company WingNut Films and is exec produced by Ken Kamins for WingNut Films and Jeff Jones and Jonathan Clyde for Apple Corps.
The footage has been restored by Park Road Post Production of Wellington, New Zealand, and is being altered by Jabez Olssen, who teamed up with Jackson on 2018’s They Shall Not Grow Old. The Beatles: Get Back is being made with the support of Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison. A fully restored version of the original Let It Be film will be made available at a later date.
Bob Iger released a statement on the storied project that was originally intended for Hulu:
“No band has had the kind of impact on the world that The Beatles have had, and The Beatles: Get Back is a front-row seat to the inner workings of these genius creators at a seminal moment in music history, with spectacularly restored footage that looks like it was shot yesterday, I’m a huge fan myself, so I could not be happier that Disney is able to share Peter Jackson’s stunning documentary with global audiences in September.”
Director Peter Jackson on the opportunity given to him by Disney:
“Working on this project has been a joyous discovery. I’ve been privileged to be a fly on the wall while the greatest band of all time works, plays and creates masterpieces. I’m thrilled that Disney have stepped up as our distributor. There’s no one better to have our movie seen by the greatest number of people.”
Beatles legends Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr also share their excitement for the project:
“I am really happy that Peter has delved into our archives to make a film that shows the truth about The Beatles recording together. The friendship and love between us comes over and reminds me of what a crazily beautiful time we had.” McCartney said.
Starr added:
“I’m really looking forward to this film. Peter is great and it was so cool looking at all this footage. There was hours and hours of us just laughing and playing music, not at all like the version that came out. There was a lot of joy and I think Peter will show that. I think this version will be a lot more peace and loving, like we really were.”
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