When it comes to recording rock history on film, all jobs must pass to Martin Scorsese.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker has signed on to direct an untitled feature-length documentary about the life of George Harrison.
"George Harrison's music and his search for spiritual meaning is a story that still resonates today," Scorsese said in a press release. "I'm looking forward to delving deeper."
"It would have given George great joy to know that Martin Scorsese has agreed to tell his story," said Harrison's widow, Olivia.
Scorsese's no stranger to rock 'n' roll, having already made 1978's The Last Waltz about the Band's farewell concert, 2005's No Direction Home, focusing on a young Bob Dylan, and the upcoming Shine a Light, chronicling the Rolling Stones. He will produce the picture along with Olivia Harrison and Harrison's Grove Street Productions, as well as Nigel Sinclair and his Spitfire Pictures.
The film will begin with Harrison's early days with John Lennon and Paul McCartney and follow his role in the Beatles until their breakup in 1970 on through his successful solo career. The documentary will delve into Harrison's spiritualism, his charitable works, including the Live Aid-inspiring Concert for Bangladesh, and his dabbling as a movie producer of such films as Monty Python's The Life of Brian and Time Bandits.
George Harrison died of lung cancer in November 2001, at the age of 58.
Scorsese will also have full access to Harrison's expansive archives.
According to Variety, the documentary may also feature interviews with fellow Fabs McCartney and Ringo Starr.
As a Beatle, his most memorable tunes included "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Something," "Taxman" and "Here Comes the Sun." He also turned the group onto to Eastern religion and culture and was one of the first Western musicians to play sitar on a pop album, via Rubber Soul's "Norwegian Wood."
He revitalized his music career in the 1980s with the hit solo album Cloud Nine and his Grammy-winning Traveling Wilburys collaboration with Dylan, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne.
He eventually reunited with McCartney and Starr for The Beatles Anthology multimedia projects, which included the release of two John Lennon compositions, "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love"—the first new Beatles music in nearly three decades. He also was a guiding force for Cirque du Soleil's Beatles-themed Love show.
Harrison's life had its share of offstage drama. His first wife, model Patti Boyd, eventually left him for his best friend, Eric Clapton. In 1999, Harrison narrowly escaped death when a crazed fan broke into his London home and stabbed him in the chest.
Scorsese—coming off his first Academy Award win for directing last year's crime thriller The Departed—will begin principal photography on the Harrison documentary later this year. The doc will be edited by David Tedeschi, who cut together No Direction Home and Shine a Light.
The latter film, featuring footage of two gigs the Stones played at New York City's Beacon Theater last November, is due for theatrical release in April.
Scorsese's next non-documentary directorial effort is a historical drama called Silence, following two Jesuit priests in 17th century Japan who witness the persecution of Japanese Christians by the Shogunate regime. He's also developing Frankie Machine, another mob picture that's expected to reteam him with old pal Robert De Niro.
Speaking of reunions, Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio are also committed to working together again on the biopic The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt.