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Filmmaker Stanley Kubrick is known for his legendary work in Hollywood and has given great films likeA Space OdysseyandThe Shining.However, there have always been some of the projects that were suggested to be made by the director, but never really happened. One such movie also includes J. R. R. Tolkien’sThe Lord of the Ringsadaptations, which were later developed by Peter Jackson.
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The Beatles Wanted to Star in Stanley Kubrick’sTheLord of the Rings
Peter Jacksonstarted working onTheLord of the Ringsin the late 90s, and the first film in the trilogy hit the theatres in 2001. However, decades before Jackson started working on the movie, the English rock band The Beatles tried to getThe Lord of the Ringsadaptation off the ground.
After playing themselves in the musical comediesA Hard Day’s NightandHelp!,the members of the rock bandJohn Lennon,Paul McCartney,Ringo Starr, andGeorge Harrisonwanted to pursue an acting career and were looking for something that would give them such an opportunity.
Band member John Lennon is claimed to have been interested inTheLord of the Ringsand suggested himself as Gollum, Paul McCartney as Frodo, George Harrison as Gandalf, and Ringo Starr as Samwise. And they wanted the filmmakerStanley Kubrickto take the director’s seat for their potential adaptation.
The rock band wanted to give their music to the film, allegedly hoping to make it as a musical. However, it did not go any further as not only didThe Shiningdirector decline the proposal, calling the movie “unfilmable,” but the author of the book series also turned them down.
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Stanley Kubrick Denied Adapting J. R. R. Tolkien’s Novels
The Beatles reportedly approached Stanley Kubrick to adapt theTheLord of the Ringsbooks. Reports claim that the music band would have wanted to make it as a musical, as their earlier two films were also musicals.
According to Ian Nathan’s bookAnything You Can Imagine: Peter Jackson and the Making of Middle-Earth(viaCollider), the rock band visited the filmmaker in the middle of the night to pitch their idea. While he did listen to what they had in mind, he ultimately turned down the concept.
The late director reportedly called the novels “unfilmable.” After Kubrick, they also approached Richard Lester, David Lean, and Michelangelo Antonioni. However, the author of the novel series,J. R. R. Tolkien, himself took the authority and put a stop to The Beatles’ plans. He was reportedly skeptical of the books’ adaptation and didn’t want a pop group to work on its adaptation.
Years later, Peter Jackson did what The Beatles dreamt of, and the franchise has since been growing constantly. Followed by theTheLord of the RingsandThe Hobbittrilogy, the studio releasedThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerand has recently revealed that they are planning to further expand the universe.
TheLord of the Ringsfranchise is available on Max.
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Source:IMDb
Laxmi Rajput
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3448
Laxmi Rajput is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, with over 3,300 articles published covering film, TV, and pop culture. With a degree in Broadcast Journalism and over three years of experience in content writing, she pivoted to entertainment journalism because let’s be honest, superheroes, sitcoms, and Netflix binges are way more fun. Laxmi frequently covers Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and popular TV shows, offering both fan-first enthusiasm and thoughtful analysis. Her work often dives into Marvel theories, revisits the genius of The Big Bang Theory, or unpacks the Netflix phenomenon of Stranger Things.
