Today it’s hard to imagine The Lord of the Rings in any form other than Peter Jackson’s iconic trilogy. But back in the 1960s, a project existed that could have changed film history entirely: a musical fantasy adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel starring The Beatles. And most astonishing of all — John Lennon envisioned himself as Gollum.
At the height of global Beatlemania, the band was not only dominating the charts but also actively appearing on the big screen. Their musical films (A Hard Day’s Night and Help!) were profitable for United Artists, and the studio expected another feature with the Fab Four. But The Beatles themselves had run out of ideas for further cinematic experiments.
Then producer Denis O’Dell made a bold suggestion: adapt The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien’s novel had already become a generational phenomenon, and the musicians were fascinated by its world. The idea was embraced instantly — it felt avant-garde, perfectly in tune with the era. The Beatles immediately refused to play hobbits but quickly assigned the roles: Paul McCartney imagined himself as Frodo, Ringo Starr as Sam, George Harrison wanted to be Gandalf, and John Lennon chose the darkest role — Gollum.
All that remained was to find a director, and the choice fell on Stanley Kubrick. The band personally approached him, hoping to gain his support. But Kubrick, who had just finished 2001: A Space Odyssey, considered the idea hopeless: at the time, no technology could convincingly bring Middle-earth to life, and condensing Tolkien’s trilogy into a musical seemed absurd to him. He declined politely but firmly.
Other names were discussed — from Michelangelo Antonioni to Richard Lester — but the project never came close to materializing. The decisive blow, however, came not from Hollywood, but from Tolkien himself. The author absolutely opposed the idea of turning his epic into a musical and could not imagine The Beatles portraying his characters. He blocked the proposal immediately.
After Tolkien’s death, the film rights passed to his heirs and eventually landed with producer Saul Zaentz, who later paved the way for Jackson’s trilogy. Interestingly, Jackson reportedly heard the story of The Beatles’ abandoned adaptation directly from Paul McCartney.
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Today, this ‘impossible adaptation’ continues to live in the imagination of fans. Online, playful posters and AI-generated trailers appear: Lennon with huge ring-like eyes, McCartney clutching the One Ring, Harrison as Gandalf, Ringo as Sam — the creativity of fans knows no limits. And who knows — if Tolkien had been a bit less strict, we might be reminiscing about a very different Lord of the Rings.
