We've had to wait longer than originally planned for Peter Jackson's next big restored-footage documentary project, in this case The Beatles: Get Back, about the Fab Four recording their final studio album Let It Be. Now we know we're going to have to be even more patient, as the film is evolving into a six-hour documentary miniseries that will launch on Disney+ in November.
The series – which had originally been planned as a stand-alone film doc, but has grown because of the sheer amount of footage and plans for more storylines – uses more than 60 hours of unseen footage shot in January 1969 (by Michael Lindsay-Hogg) and more than 150 hours of unheard audio, all of which has been painstakingly restored by Jackson's team to all its original glory. It chronicles John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr as they plan their first live show in over two years, capturing the writing and rehearsing of 14 new songs, originally intended for release on an accompanying live album. The documentary features – for the first time in its entirety – The Beatles’ last live performance as a group, the unforgettable rooftop concert on London’s Savile Row, as well as other songs and classic compositions featured on the band’s final two albums, Abbey Road and Let It Be.
"In many respects, Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s remarkable footage captured multiple storylines," says Jackson. "The story of friends and of individuals. It is the story of human frailties and of a divine partnership. It is a detailed account of the creative process, with the crafting of iconic songs under pressure, set amid the social climate of early 1969. But it’s not nostalgia – it’s raw, honest, and human. Over six hours, you’ll get to know The Beatles with an intimacy that you never thought possible.”
The Beatles: Get Back will now launch in three roughly two-hour chunks across 25, 26 and 27 November, which those across the pond will recognise as the Thanksgiving weekend. Happy Beatsgiving! Oh, and Jackson offered a quick first look at the documentary (when it was still designed as a movie) and you can find that here.