Final Shots: Ron Howard Says Hulu Beatles Doc Is ‘An Odyssey, Adventure Story’

During a brand new interview with Deadline, director Ron Howard described The Beatles’ touring years, around which his new Hulu documentary is based, as “an odyssey, adventure story.” Produced alongside his Imagine Entertainment partner Brian Grazer, The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years, will premiere on Hulu on September 17 shortly after a limited theatrical run.

When asked about The Beatles’ touring years, Howard added, “The more I understood it, it became more like a survival story.” He elaborated further on his directorial progression, saying, “Along the way, it became a coming of age story. Them, as men, and unbelievable artists who evolved from pop stars to musical mavericks who redefined the medium.”

As for the band’s last two surviving members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, who were interviewed for the documentary, Howard says “this film came along at a time in the lives of Paul and Ringo where they could look at this with a kind of perspective they hadn’t been willing to, before. We did two different interviews and I noticed a real change from the first interview to the second one, with both guys.”

In other news…

Netflix has announced two brand new live-action original series for “tweens.” Premiering in 2017, the untitled Horse Mystery project and The Worst Witch follow a set of tenacious girls as they learn to navigate life’s many challenges by turning failure into empowering self-discovery. [Netflix]

Marc Maron is set to star opposite to Alison Brie in Orange Is The New Black creator Jenji Kohan’s forthcoming Netflix 1980s female wrestling comedy series, G.L.O.W. Maron will play Sam Sylvia, a washed-up Hollywood director who will manage the show’s 14-woman female wrestling league. Betty Gilpin has also been cast. [The Hollywood Reporter]

ICYMI: HBO’s Game of Thrones has cast Jim Broadbent in their first new Season 7 role. The Oscar winner and Harry Potter actor will fill a “significant” but yet-to-be disclosed role in the forthcoming season, which will film in Northern Ireland, Spain and Iceland. [Entertainment Weekly]

Netflix has released the official trailer for director Christopher Guest’s forthcoming original mockumentary, Mascots. The brand new feature, which premieres October 13, will star Catherine O’Hara, Parker Posey, and Fred Willard who will portray ultra-competitive sports mascots competing for the highest honor… a “Gold Fluffy” award:

Michael is a music and television junkie keen on most things that are not a complete and total bore. You can follow him on Twitter — @Tweetskoor