LONDON (AP) — Director Peter Jackson is making a new documentary using never-before-seen footage of the Beatles in the studio.

The acclaimed Lord of the Rings director said Wednesday the film will be based on roughly 55 hours of footage of the band working on songs in the studio in January 1969.

"It's like a time machine transports us back to 1969, and we get to sit in the studio watching these four friends make great music together," he says.

The film is being made with the cooperation of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, the widows of John Lennon and George Harrison.

The film was announced on the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' final performance on the roof of Apple Records in London.