By Zach Johnson
Today, The Walt Disney Studios, Apple Corps Ltd., and WingNut Films Productions Ltd. announced that Disney+ will bring The Beatles: Get Back, a Disney+ Original documentary series directed by Peter Jackson, to fans and music lovers worldwide over the Thanksgiving holiday. Because of the wealth of tremendous footage Jackson has reviewed, which he has spent the past three years meticulously restoring and editing, The Beatles: Get Back will be presented as three separate episodes. Each episode is approximately two hours in length and will roll out over three days, on November 25, 26, and 27, 2021, exclusively on Disney+.
“As a huge Beatles fan myself, I am absolutely thrilled that Disney+ will be the home for this extraordinary documentary series by the legendary filmmaker Peter Jackson,” said Bob Iger, Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board, The Walt Disney Company. “This phenomenal collection of never-before-seen footage offers an unprecedented look at the close camaraderie, genius songwriting and indelible impact of one of the most iconic and culturally influential bands of all time, and we can’t wait to share The Beatles: Get Back with fans around the world.”
Jackson said, “In many respects, Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s remarkable footage captured multiple storylines. 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.”
“I’m very grateful to The Beatles, Apple Corps, and Disney for allowing me to present this story in exactly the way it should be told,” Jackson added. “I’ve been immersed in this project for nearly three years, and I’m very excited that audiences around the world will finally be able to see it.”
Directed by Jackson, a three-time Academy Award® winner, The Beatles: Get Back takes audiences back in time to the band’s intimate recording sessions during a pivotal moment in music history. The documentary showcases the warmth, camaraderie, and creative genius that defined the legacy of the iconic foursome, compiled from over 60 hours of unseen footage shot in January 1969 by Lindsay-Hogg, and more than 150 hours of unheard audio, all of which has been brilliantly restored. Jackson is the only person in 50 years to have been given access to these private film archives. The Beatles: Get Back is the story of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr as they plan their first live show in more than 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.
An exciting new collaboration between The Beatles and Jackson presented by The Walt Disney Studios in association with Apple Corps Ltd. and WingNut Films Productions Ltd., The Beatles: Get Back is directed by Jackson and produced by Clare Olssen and Jonathan Clyde, with Ken Kamins and Apple Corps’ Jeff Jones serving as executive producers. Jabez Olssen is the documentary’s editor, and the music is mixed by Giles Martin and Sam Okell.
The Beatles: Get Back is being made with the enthusiastic support of McCartney, Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison. Ahead of the documentary’s Disney+ debut, Apple Corps Ltd./Callaway Arts & Entertainment will also publish The Beatles: Get Back book on October 12. Beautifully designed and produced, the 240-page hardcover complements the documentary with transcriptions of The Beatles’ recorded conversations and hundreds of exclusive, never-before-published photos from the three weeks of sessions. The collectible book will be published in nine international language editions, including English.
