George Harrison documentary to get Oct debut on HBO

Produced by Oscar-winner Martin Scorsese and Harrison's widow Olivia, "George Harrison: Living in the Material World", traces the life of the late Beatle from his musical beginnings in Liverpool to his fame with the Fab Four in the 1960s as well as his work as a philanthropist and filmmaker.

Harrison died of lung cancer in 2001 in Los Angeles at the age of 58. Although often referred to as the quiet Beatle, he wrote hit songs like "Here Comes the Sun" and "Something" for The Beatles before playing with the 1980s supergroup, Traveling Wilburys.

The 3-1/2 hour documentary includes interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr as well as Eric Clapton, Yoko Ono, Phil Spector and record producer George Martin, among others. It will air in two parts on HBO on October 5 and 6, and be released in Britain on October 10 on DVD and Blu-Ray through Lionsgate, Lionsgate UK said.

Scorsese, whose music projects include "The Last Waltz" in 1978 about the final concert of The Band, and the Rolling Stones documentary "Shine a light", said he had long been a fan of Harrison.

"So when I was offered the chance to make this picture, I jumped at it. Spending time with Olivia (Harrison), interviewing so many of George's closest friends, reviewing all that footage, some of it never seen before, and listening to all of that magnificent music -- it was a joy, and an experience I'll always treasure," Scorsese said in a statement.

A book accompanying the documentary will be published in late September featuring photos, letters, diaries and other memorabilia from the personal archives of Olivia and George Harrison.