Posted on 11/26/2021 1:12:08 PM PST by nickcarraway
The Beatles attempted to make a big-screen adaption of "Lord of The Rings" in 1968, but the band was denied rights to the fantasy books by J.R.R. Tolkien, according to filmmaker Peter Jackson.
Jackson — who is best known for his sprawling trilogy based on Tolkien's "Lord of The Rings" series — is currently on the press run for his latest work "The Beatles: Get Back," a docuseries crafted from footage of the band recording their last album, "Let It Be," when he told the BBC that he had discovered the fab four had been keen on adapting Tolkien.
"I've been scraping together little pieces of information. I've been interrogating Paul about it. Ringo doesn't remember much," Jackson said.
Peter Jackson Jonathan Leibson Getty Filmmaker Peter Jackson. Jonathan Leibson/Getty The filmmaker continued to say that the band were sent copies of the "Lord of The Rings" books by their producer, Denis O'Dell, when they visited India in the late 60s.
"I expect because there are three, he sent one book to each of the Beatles. I don't think Ringo got one, but John, Paul, and George each got one 'Lord of The Rings' book to read in India. And they got excited about it," Jackson said.
However, Jackson said Tolkien, the author of the fantasy novels, was not enthusiastic about handing over big-screen rights to The Beatles.
"Ultimately, they couldn't get the rights from Tolkien, because he didn't like the idea of a pop group doing his story. So it got nixed by him. They tried to do it. There's no doubt about it. For a moment in time, they were seriously contemplating doing that at the beginning of 1968."
lord of the rings New Line Cinema The BBC reports that if the film had made its way into production, the cast would have been composed of Paul McCartney as Frodo, John Lennon as Gollum, George Harrison as Gandalf, and Ringo Starr as Sam. And the band's choice of director was Stanley Kubrick who at the time was best known for his work on "Lolita," "Spartacus," and "2001: A Space Odyssey."
As mentioned above, a "Lord of The Rings" big-screen adaptation was finally produced in the early '00s by Peter Jackson.
The filmmaker famously shot all three movies in his "Lord of The Rings" trilogy simultaneously and entirely in his native New Zealand from 11 October 1999 until 22 December 2000. The trilogy went on to become one of the most successful film series of all time taking home almost $3 billion at the worldwide box office. And in 2014, Jackson concluded the spin-off "Hobbit" film series.
One can only imagine what a Beatles Lord of the Rings movie would look like. I’m thinking Yellow Submarine here.
It would have ruined Tolkien for generations in the future.
Specifically a very devout Catholic Christian. As Tolkien wrote in a letter, The Lord of the Rings is “a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision. That is why I have not put in, or have cut out, practically all references to anything like ‘religion,’ to cults or practices, in the imaginary world. For the religious element is absorbed into the story and the symbolism.”
Jackson also did this;
https://www.mrmovie-review.com/geek-peter-jackson-uncredited-appearance-hot-fuzz/
That movie would be so easy to make. Just give Sauron a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas and it ends there.
“Ringo doesn’t remember much,” Jackson said.”
Ringo’s sober self will you he doesn’t remember a lot of things from those days.
Based on how stupid a film “Yellow Submarine” was, Tolkien made a wise choice.
I wonder if led zepplin had an interest in it too.
Ramble on.
Led zepplin 2
I agree.
But there are no Christian figures in the trilogy, they are all pre Christian European myths that form the basis for the Trilogy.
It is actually one of the best literary works of the Century IMHO
Instead, they made Yellow Submarine. And Mr. Tolkien felt his decision completely vindicated.
Well played, Larry.
Well played.
;)
Tolkien probably saw Yellow Submarine before making his decision.
Of course not. He'd have said "'Lord of the Ringo'? Cool. All I have to do is . . . act naturally!"
I hate Jackson for “The Hobbit”. I love that book. I was thrilled to hear it would be made into a movie and even moreso a trilogy. I felt they could really flesh out all of the nuance in the book.
The movies are atrocious. A complete bastardization of the book. Half video games, half... crap I don’t even know what. Unwatchable. Just a complete puke fest.
With Yoko Ono as Sauron.
That is true. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I highly doubt the veracity of this. Maybe someone joked about it during an acid filled evening.
The Beatles broke up because they grew tired of each other. It’s as simple as that.
Of course I know the song, but taxes had nothing to do with their breakup.
https://taxfoundation.org/beatles-friend-taxes-helped-break-them
First told to give away vast amounts to avoid tax bills — which they did in a series of madcap ventures, offering money to any old person who dropped by with a demo tape — then told they had to make £120,000 in order to keep just £10,000. Soon their finances were in chaos and their energy sapped, as nutters beseiged Apple HQ pressing tapes on them. They also ran a clothes shop as a tax dodge.
https://www.grunge.com/247829/the-break-up-of-the-beatles-explained/
The greatest source of financial strain upon the Fab Four in the late '60s and early '70s was the company they co-owned together, Apple Corps. Originally set up in 1967 by Brian Epstein as a way, quite frankly, of avoiding tax, the company became a constant source of difficulty for the group.
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