‘The Beatles: Get Back,’ the New Version of Their Classic Documentary ‘Let It Be,’ Gets a Release Date

A year ago it was announced that filmmaker Peter Jackson was creating a new version of The Beatles’ 1970 documentary film Let It Be. Also emphasized was that he would be utilizing over 55 hour of unseen footage and 140 hours of unheard audio to create a more celebratory look at the Former Fab Four rather than the somewhat acrimonious version originally released. Now Disney has stepped onboard as distributor, announcing that The Beatles: Get Back will be coming to the big screen September 4.

In a statement, Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger commented, “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 restore 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.”

For his part, Jackson, the creative force behind The Lord of the Rings and the acclaimed World War I documentary They Shall Not Grow Old, added, “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 has stepped up as our distributor. There’s no one better to have our movie seen by the greatest number of people.”

Also pretty delighted by the news is Sir Paul McCartney himself, who adds, “I’m 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.”

Historically, The Beatles’ Let It Be was designed to show them making magic in the studio by creating an album from scratch. Instead, it represented a look at their disintegration; indeed, the band had broken up shortly before the film’s release about 50 years ago. But of the new version, at the time of the documentary’s announcement, Jackson said of the film and audio at his disposal, “It ensures the movie will be the ultimate ‘fly on the wall’ experience that Beatles fans have long dreamt about — 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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