I'm glad he said no. I love the Beatles and I love Tolkien, but I think they operate (yes, present tense) in completely separate circles. Also, since it would probably have been the first LOTR film if it had gone ahead (the fairly terrible Ralph Bakshi ones were done in the 80s), I think it would have been completely different to the style and mood of the book.

But I would have liked to see John as Gollum and George as Gandalf, in parody style. I wonder who the other characters would have been played by? I imagine Keith Moon may have made a good Gimli, possibly Bob Dylan as Aragorn, a worn and wise hero?