Acclaimed Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson announced on Thursday he is working on a documentary detailing the making of The Beatles' classic album Let It Be 50 years ago.
New Zealand film maker Peter Jackson attends the world premiere of Peter Jackson's film "They Shall Not Grow Old" during the BFI London Film Festival on October 16, 2018 in London, England. (File photos: VCG)
The New Zealander said the film was based on 55 hours of never-before-seen footage and 140 hours of audio from the Fab Four's recording sessions.
Jackson said it provided unprecedented insight into the band's creative process and their interactions.
"This movie will be the ultimate fly-on-the-wall experience that Beatles fans have long dreamt about," he said in a statement.
"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."
Let It Be was recorded in January 1969 but not released until May the following year after The Beatles put out Abbey Road and subsequently split, making it the final album the band released.
The footage was originally shot for a television special that never materialized. Instead, some of it was used in a Michael Lindsay-Hogg documentary also titled Let It Be.
Fans have long believed the album's creation was marred by the rivalries and infighting that eventually tore the band apart but Jackson said that was a myth.
"Sure, there's moments of drama, but none of the discord this project has long been associated with," he said.
"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."
The Beatles film is being made with the cooperation of surviving band members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as the families of George Harrison and John Lennon.
Cover image: New Zealand film director Peter Jackson poses upon arrival to attend the World Premiere of the film "Mortal Engines" in London on November 27, 2018.