The Beatles consider a Lord of the Rings film adaptation

Throughout 1966 and 1967, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr considered various ideas and scripts to fulfill their contractual obligation to United Artists for a third film, following “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help!.” However, none of the proposed projects gained enough traction with the band.

In September 1967, Denis O’Dell joined Apple, the company founded by The Beatles, as director and head of Apple Films. While reviewing existing agreements, he came across the United Artists contract and noted that the band was still committed to delivering a third film. O’Dell reopened discussions with United Artists, later recalling in his autobiography that the contract may already have lapsed, which gave him leverage to renegotiate more favorable terms for The Beatles. Interestingly, Al Brodax, the producer of the animated film “Yellow Submarine” (released in 1968), claimed that United Artists had accepted “Yellow Submarine” as fulfilling the band’s contractual obligation for a third film. It remains uncertain what might have happened had O’Dell not re-engaged with the studio.

The [Beatles Cartoon] series ran for three years. During that time Brian made a deal with United Artists to make three pictures. He did A Hard Day’s Night and Help! But the third picture came up and the boys didn’t want to do it. They wanted to go to India. So I contacted UA and I suggested that I could do an animation and they could go to India and everybody would be happy. Brian consented and the deal got a little better for us.

Al Brodax – Producer of “Yellow Submarine” – From MOJO, October 1999

On moving into Apple’s new offices [in Wigmore Street] one of the first things I did was to have all the Beatles’ legal documents shipped over from NEMS. The documents arrived in a scare of disarray in numerous cardboard boxes. Most of them were nor even filed. It was vital, however, that the group’s legal agreements and business arrangements that had carried over from Brian’s death be analysed properly. It was clear that we would need to employ a lawyer to take on this unenviable task, so I brought in a highly respected entertainment expert, Brian Lewis, to do just that.

Much of what we discovered was of little real significance. However, the investigation threw up one contract that might potentially have enormous impact on the Beatles’ career. To our great surprise we discovered that the option for a third Beatles picture with United Artists had not been exercised. I do not remember the exact terms of the original contract, but the basis of the 1963–4 agreement was that the boys would make three films with United Artists. However, it was my opinion that the option on the contract had lapsed, and it was Queen’s Counsel opinion that it was now null and void. Not that United Artists and Walter Shenson hadn’t tried to make a third movie. […]

The original deal had been very skewed in United Artists’ favour and, despite some recognition of increasing percentages, certainly did not reflect the band’s current status as the world’s biggest celebrities.

I figured that if United Artists wanted to keep the Beatles – and, given their continued success, there was no reason why they wouldn’t – they were going to have to renegotiate, and this time the odds would be stacked in our favour. I called David Chasman, then European Head of Production at United Artists, to discuss the situation. David and myself had always got on well, and we arranged to hold a formal meeting at his London office to review the lapsed contract. It was there that David realized the potential seriousness of the situation. Following our discussions, another meeting was arranged for the following February at United Artists’ headquarters in New York. And this time it wouldn’t be with just some major executive but with Arnold Picker, Company President, David Picker, Head of Production, and their Legal President. These were some of the most powerful men in the film business, and they were taking the situation very seriously indeed. It had the potential to be one of the most high-powered movie meetings of the decade. I set about preparing myself for it.

The Beatles knew nothing much about the gravity of the lapsed contract, although I did my best to keep them abreast of all developments affecting Apple Films.

Denis O’Dell – From “At the Apple’s Core: The Beatles from the Inside“, 2002

In mid-February 1968, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr travelled from London to Rishikesh, in northern India, to attend a Transcendental Meditation training course at the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Around the same time, Denis O’Dell was preparing the meeting with United Artists. In order to renegotiate more favorable terms for The Beatles, he felt he needed to present a concrete project to United Artists’ management. His proposal was to adapt J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. United Artists, which owned the film rights to the books, responded positively and expressed interest in pursuing the idea, provided that a major film director could be attached to the project.

[In February 1968 while The Beatles were in India] I was preparing for the meeting with United Artists about the Beatles’ new film deal. I had had a good working relationship with the company in the past, and it seemed to make most sense to try to renegotiate more favourable terms with them than to take the Beatles’ film deals elsewhere. As I saw it, John, Paul, George and Ringo were now the biggest stars in the world and I should attempt to negotiate a $1 million fee for each of them for any films they did with United Artists, if the company was interested in renewing the contract. The problem was that we didn’t have a potential project or attached director to take to United Artists. I didn’t have a script or option or even an idea for a screenplay that I could say that the Beatles wanted to make. Sure, we had thrown a few ideas around. […]

Arriving at the St Regis Hotel in New York on the evening of 25 February I had no idea of what project to pitch to Arnold Picker the next day. Unable to sleep, I wracked my brains all night in a last-ditch attempt to come up with some kind of game-plan. And as I walked over to the United Artists offices for the meeting the following day I was resigned to the fact that their executives wouldn’t entertain the idea of $1 million for each of the Beatles without a credible idea or proposal.

The meeting was taking place on the third floor. I walked through the front entrance and was just getting into the lift when, incredibly, an idea came to me. Like all good ideas it was deceptively simple. The new production from Apple Films would be a cinematic adaptation of one of the most popular and best-loved novels of the twentieth century, J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic, The Lord of the Rings. It seemed to me to be a perfect project with which to interest United Artists and an ideal starting-point for the renegotiation of the Beatles’ contracts. […]

I entered the United Artists offices and asked if I could have a couple of minutes to make a private call. I called Jack Schwartzman, an old friend and business colleague in California who specialized in industry law and the acquisition of film rights. I told him my idea and asked if the rights were available but was told that he had recently acquired them on behalf of another producer. This was bad news. [Trying to find out which film major acquired the rights, Denis finally concluded from his call with Schwartzman that United Artists had acquired them]

I went into the meeting and explained to Arnold and David Picker about the lapsed contracts. I told them that we would be prepared to renew them for a film in which the Beatles were paid $1 million each. I told them that the film we wanted to make was Lord of the Rings, a book they already owned. There was a deathly silence, followed by a short period in which David and Arnold conferred in private with one other.

When they returned, David confirmed that they did indeed have the rights to Lord of the Rings and told me I was the only European producer that they would be prepared to entrust with such a project. I was flattered by his remarks. The proviso, however, would be that United Artists would consider the project only if I could get a major director involved in the project. We agreed, and I gave him a shortlist of names. These included David Lean, Michelangelo Antonioni and Stanley Kubrick. I left the offices in a state of pure elation. Now I just had to get the Beatles and a major director interested in the film and we would be away!

Denis O’Dell – From “At the Apple’s Core: The Beatles from the Inside“, 2002

The Beatles were eager to make the first book of Tolkien’s Rings trilogy into a film and they were negotiating an option. They had already talked to the director, David Lean, but he was busy with Ryan’s Daughter. They approached Stanley Kubrick, but he didn’t think the books could be scripted. “I’m talking to Antonioni now,” said Denis, filling me in.

“I think you’ll find that the lads’ hands are full, Denis,” I said, but he wasn’t having any discouraging comments. What we didn’t know — and would discover later on our return from India — was that UA had bought the option of Lord of the Rings behind our backs. Previously, they hadn’t even considered it, but as soon as they heard that the Beatles were negotiating the rights, they slid in and picked it up themselves. They gave it to Saul Zaentz, who would make a nasty dark little cartoon film out of Tolkien’s fabulous fantasy.

Tony Bramwell – From “Magical Mystery Tours: My Life with the Beatles“, 2006

Following his discussions with United Artists, O’Dell approached several film directors to gauge their interest. Among them was Stanley Kubrick, who had not read Tolkien’s books but agreed to do so and consider the proposal.

Despite the director’s formidable reputation I found him both polite and charming when I spoke to him on the telephone. The only problem was that he was not familiar with the Tolkien books; given their popularity and the critical respect accorded to them, I found this surprising. I told him that we were very interested in getting him involved and that I would send the books round to him so he could take a look at them. He told me that the next day he would be sailing back from the USA to the UK, and I arranged for the trilogy to be delivered to his cabin on the liner, telling him that it would make excellent reading for the Atlantic crossing. I thanked him and hung up. Minutes later he called me back to inform me that his daughter had just berated him for never having read the books and told him that he should be ashamed to admit to anyone that he didn’t know about them. We laughed and agreed to speak again once he had had a chance to read them and consider the project. Things looked very positive indeed.

Denis O’Dell – From “At the Apple’s Core: The Beatles from the Inside“, 2002

In early March 1968, O’Dell received a telegram from The Beatles in India, inviting him to join them to work on a possible film related to Transcendental Meditation. Seeing this as an opportunity to raise The Lord of the Rings idea, he travelled to Rishikesh with Neil Aspinall, who had also been summoned.

During their stay, The Beatles — minus Ringo, who had left Rishikesh on March 1 — read Tolkien’s books and began to show enthusiasm for the project. The proposed film about Transcendental Meditation never materialised.

I then started to introduce my idea of making a film version of The Lord of the Rings. I had brought copies of the books with me and with a little help from Donovan – long an ardent admirer of Tolkien – persuaded John, Paul and George to take a look at the trilogy. Rather than each having to read the books from cover to cover, each was given one of the books. Paul read the first, The Fellowship of the Ring, John read The Two Towers and George The Return of the King.

Fortunately the meditation project began to take a back seat as Paul, John and George became increasingly enthused about the possibilities of a musical film of the Tolkien trilogy. The three Beatles were truly inspired by the idea, each beginning to earmark roles for themselves. John was keen to play Gandalf and was so enthusiastic that he told me it would be no problem to get ‘at least a double album’ of musical material together for the project. For once, it seemed, at least three of the Beatles had reached an agreement about a film they all wanted to do. And when Paul and myself decided to return to London, leaving John and George in India, I really did believe that after the disappointment of Magical Mystery Tour we were finally on to a winner. I saw the film as a massive project that would exploit and stretch the Beatles’ screen-acting potential, expand their musical horizons and elevate them into the world’s biggest box-office stars.

Denis O’Dell – From “At the Apple’s Core: The Beatles from the Inside“, 2002

I’ve been scraping together little pieces of information. I’ve been interrogating Paul about it. Ringo doesn’t remember much. What I understand is that Denis O’Dell, who was their Apple film producer, who produced The Magic Christian, had the idea of doing Lord of The Rings. When they (The Beatles) went to Rishikesh and stayed in India, it was about three months with the Maharishi at the beginning of 1968, he sent the books to The Beatles. 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.

Peter Jackson – Director of the “Lord Of The Rings” adaptation (2001-2003) – From BBC, November 25, 2021

On March 24, 1968, O’Dell returned to London with Paul, Jane Asher and Neil Aspinall.

Back in the UK, he contacted Kubrick again to hear his opinion of The Lord of the Rings. To O’Dell’s surprise, Kubrick described the books as extraordinary but “unmakable” as a film. Although O’Dell urged him to reconsider, Kubrick remained sceptical. He eventually agreed to meet John and Paul at a lunch arranged by O’Dell at the MGM Studios in Borehamwood. After this meeting, The Beatles’ enthusiasm for the project faded, suggesting that Kubrick had discouraged them about its cinematic potential. O’Dell made one final attempt to change his mind, but Kubrick stood firm in his belief that the story could not be successfully adapted for the screen.

Strangely, in June 1969, Disc and Music Echo reported that The Beatles were set to adapt Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings for the screen — more than a year after the idea had already been considered and abandoned.

On returning to the UK I called Stanley Kubrick to determine his response to the books I had sent him. I hoped that he would have been sufficiently taken by them to make the film with us. To my great surprise and disappointment, however, he told me that he thought the books, while extraordinary, were ‘unmakable’. This, I felt, was a remarkable statement coming from one of the industry’s great visionaries. I told him so and said that, in my opinion, there was no such thing as an unfilmable book. I urged him to reconsider and persuaded him to at least meet John and Paul to discuss the project in more depth, and he agreed. Following John’s return, I arranged a business lunch for the three of them at the old MGM studios at Borehamwood but decided not to attend myself. Kubrick knew my feelings about the film, and I felt it best for the meeting to take place in as casual an atmosphere as possible.

Since I wasn’t there I don’t know exactly what was said. What I do know is that afterwards the Beatles lost all interest in the project, so I can only assume that Kubrick dissuaded them of its cinematic potential. In a last-ditch effort to interest him I called him again a few days after the meeting with John and Paul, but he was adamant that the film could not be made. He was very civil about it but was unshakeable in his conviction that it was not a challenge that he or any other director could pull off.

Denis O’Dell – From “At the Apple’s Core: The Beatles from the Inside“, 2002

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.

Peter Jackson – Director of the “Lord Of The Rings” adaptation (2001-2003) – From BBC, November 25, 2021

Beatles film! PLANS TO STAR IN FAMOUS FAIRY STORY

BEATLES’ new film is likely to be “Lord of the Rings” — a fantasy-type story based on the world-famous series of books by British professor J. R. Tolkien.

John, Paul, George and Ringo have accepted the script idea as “the best they’ve read so far” and shooting could start immediately — if they can find a suitable producer/director team.

Says Apple’s Derek Taylor: “All four have read the books and are very enthusiastic. After this nothing else seems up to standard.”

“Lord Of The Rings” was first published in 1955 following Tolkien’s experimental children’s book “The Hobbit,” a fairy story revolving round inhabitants of the imaginary “Middle Earth.”

Story-line of “Lord Of The Rings,” three separate books, recounts the adventures of star characters “Frodo” and “Sam,” two of the “Hobbits,” who travel under the guidance of a good wizard (“Gandalf”) to return an evil magic ring stolen in the earlier story.

Other main characters include “Gollum,” an evil “Hobbit,” who tries to thwart the plan; “Sauron,” a bad wizard, who is after the ring himself; and “Aragorn,” the god-like prince.

Adds Derek Taylor: “The story has quite a bit of relevance to the highly controversial TV version of “Alice In Wonderland,” produced by Jonathan Miller, which starred Malcolm Muggeridge and Peter Cook, where a lot of things make sense — as well as non-sense!”

Penny Valentine writes:

“Lord Of The Rings” seems as likely a vehicle for the Beatles’ talents as anything they have so far filmed.

The story is basically the fight between good and evil, much in the vein of the Beatles’ cartoon, “Yellow Submarine,” though the treatment, to be really effective and not insult the purists, will have to be far less gimmicky.

The “Hobbits” are an endearing set of people who love having parties, aren’t especially heroic, but who battle on in the face of danger. Originally written by Tolkien for children, the books grew in importance to become imperative reading matter at American universities, where “Lord Of The Rings” was part of the curriculum.

They also started a “pop” fashion in Britain — where “Middle Earth” became the name of a London club and “Gandalf’s Garden” the name of a magazine and shop.

It’s hard to suggest which roles the Beatles will take in the lengthy, humorous and sometimes terrifying story. It is likely that Paul could play “Frodo,” the hero, who overcomes his own terror against insuperable odds; John — after his performance in “How I Won The War” — the whining, pathetic “Gollum,” who meets an untimely end; Ringo, the stalwart, sympathetic “Sam,” and George, the tall magical wizard “Gandalf.”

From Disc And Music Echo – June 21, 1969

Going further

The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years

With greatly expanded text, this is the most revealing and frank personal 30-year chronicle of the group ever written. Insider Barry Miles covers the Beatles story from childhood to the break-up of the group.

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