Liam Gallagher. Singer. Songwriter. Professional asshole. And now, apparently, movie producer. The cranky former frontman of Oasis is bringing the story of the demise of the Beatles to the big screen after securing the rights to Richard DiLello’s memoir The Longest Cocktail Party: An Insider’s Diary Of The Beatles, Their Million Dollar Apple Empire And Its Wild Rise And Fall.
The book chronicles the contentious years between 1967 and 1970 from the perspective of DiLello, an American teenager hired as Apple Records’ ‘house hippie,’ who eventually moved his way up to being director of public relations. Those years saw the Beatles at their most brilliant and fractious, releasing albums like “Abbey Road” and “Let It Be,” all the while juggling the increasingly bitter personal relationships, creative differences and managerial woes that led to the band’s eventual breakup. It’s certainly one of rock ‘n roll’s more fascinating stories and there’s probably no one better suited to shepherd the project than Gallagher who is an unabashed fan of the group.
Partnering with Revolution Films, Gallagher will head to Cannes next week to launch the project and begin the search for a screenwriter and a director. Once the script is in the can — hopefully at the end of this year or early next year — casting will begin for the Fab Four and the rowdy Apple Records roster and crew. Of course, the production will have to secure the rights to the Beatles’ catalog which could cost a pretty penny, but we do hope this one comes together; its a compelling story that will make for fascinating big screen fare.
–Written by Kevin Jagernauth