Beatles' ring

[mrsdanvers]

Is it true the Beatles thought about doing a film of Lord of the Rings?

[wendysavage1]

The Beatles did originally own the movie rights to The Lord Of The Rings; they intended to make the film with John Lennon as Gollum, Paul McCartney as Frodo and George Harrison as Gandalf. Fortunately they never got around to it and sold on the rights.

[sgs]

The rights were secured by Denis O'Dell, head of Apple Films, and he tried hard to get the project off the ground. The various Beatles don't seem to have decided who was to play whom, though Lennon apparently earmarked the role of Gandalf to himself. O'Dell' s Apple memoirs are due out later this year, called At the Apple's Core, so there may be some more material in there.

[wendysavage1]

In 1968 the Beatles where looking to make a third movie. They approached David Lean and Stanley Kubrick, both of whom where unavailable. They then contacted United Artists whom offered them the rights to make the movie of Lord Of The Rings. John Lennon was intending to be Gollum, Harrison to be Gandalf, and McCartney Frodo. McCartney then lost interest and approached Richard Lester in an attempt to have the Beatles play The Three Musketeers. It was eventually made, but without the Beatles. Michaelangelo Antonioni even showed a documented interest in directing the Lord of the Rings movie.

[javibml]

Here's what I've found on the subject in a New Zealand online mag: This week at the Oscars The Lord Of The Rings director Peter Jackson met one his idols, Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, and it was revealed the pair shared common ground. While waiting in the lobby of Hollywood's Kodak Theatre, Jackson said today, he asked Sir Paul if it was true the Fab Four wanted to make a Lord Of The Rings film in the 1960s. "He said it was and they'd been thinking of talking to (director) Stanley Kubrick about it. It was something John (Lennon) was driving and (Rings author) JRR Tolkien still had the film rights at that stage but he didn't like the idea of the Beatles doing it. So he killed it." Jackson understood that Sir Paul was going to be Frodo, Lennon Gollum, George Harrison Gandalf and Ringo Starr would play Sam. "There probably would've been some good songs coming off the album." Hope this helps.

[baudeagle]

I don;t know about that but there are two fan films about Lord of the Rings. Media URL: http://voices.yahoo.com/cant-wait-jrr-tolkiens-hobbit-try-these-fan-11219396.html
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