The It List: 'Let It Be' shows Beatles fans a different side of the Fab Four, 'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' ushers in a new regime, Tom Selleck shares Hollywood tales in memoir

Kelsey Weekman
Illustration: Yahoo News
Illustration: Yahoo News (Illustration: Yahoo News)

Hello, friends! I'm Kelsey, your guide to all things pop culture for Yahoo Entertainment, and this is the It List, our weekly rundown of what's new and notable. This week my marvelous colleagues recommended a slew of upcoming releases to watch, stream, listen to, read and binge. I’ll walk you through my favorites.

Performing on the rooftop among a crowd, from left to right: Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison.
The rooftop performance was a part of a doc being filmed about the Beatles rehearsing and recording the album Let It Be. This was their final live performance before breaking up in April 1970. From left to right: Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison. (Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix via Getty Images) (Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix via Getty Images)

  • When: Let It Be starts streamingMay 8 on Disney+

  • What to Know: The so-called Beatles-breakup doc, originally released in 1970, one month after the band split, has been restored.

  • Peter Jackson’s production company improved the visuals and sound for the movie, with the support of director Michael Lindsay-Hogg.

  • You’ll get to see band’s final time playing as a group for that famous rooftop performance featured in Jackson’s 2021 docuseries, The Beatles: Get Back.

  • Entertainment reporter Suzy Byrne explained to me that there’s still all the spectacle of Harrison (briefly) quitting and Yoko Ono being present, but knowing the full story of the Beatles presents the story as creative and beautiful, rather than contentious and bitter.

  • Lindsay-Hogg told Yahoo he thinks the film was “unfairly perceived” through the years and is happy it’s getting its moment.

  • Why I’ll be watching: There’s breakup drama available for my consumption after being locked away for 50 years?! I can’t resist.

  • When: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is in theaters May 10.

  • What to know: Generations after the death of our main chimp from the previous three films, apes dominate the overgrown landscape.

  • Editor-reporter Laura Clark caught me up on the franchise. In this film, a virus has spread over the planet, causing most humans to regress to a feral state. Relatable!

  • The franchise is known for its hyperrealistic visual effects. Director Wes Ball plans to release a pared-down version of the movie so audiences can better appreciate the "level of craft and artistry.”

  • Longtime star Andy Serkis is out, but new talent Owen Teague and Freya Allan give the franchise a refresh.

  • Why I’ll be watching: I saw the extremely different movie Sasquatch Sunset a few weeks ago, and now I’m hooked on the nuances of primate politics.

The cover of
The cover of Long Island by Colm Tóbín. (Simon & Schuster) (Simon & Schuster)

  • When: The audiobook of Colm Tóibín's novel Long Island is out on May 7.

  • What to know:Long Island is the sequel to Brooklyn, a book about a young woman leaving her family in Ireland for a new life in New York. It picks up the story 20 years later, in 1976.

  • You might remember Brooklyn was turned into a 2015 movie starring Saoirse Ronan.

  • Copy editor Barbara Kempe shared what happens in Long Island: A stranger visits Irish immigrant Eilis Lacey and gives her surprising news, and she is forced to make decisions that will change everything for her and her family.

  • The audiobook is read by Irish actress Jessie Buckley, who you might know from TV’s Fargo or movies Women Talking and The Lost Daughter.

  • Why I’ll be watching: Reading Brooklyn made me cry on the train after I moved to New York City, so I’m sure Long Island will have me reaching for tissues and Zillow listings.

Tom Selleck on the cover of his memoir,
The cover of Tom Selleck's memoir, You Never Know. (HarperCollins) (HarperCollins)

  • When: You Never Know: A Memoir is available for purchase May 7.

  • What to know: The Blue Bloods star spent four years handwriting reflections from his storied Hollywood career.

  • Entertainment reporter Suzy Byrne dished on some of the best moments from the memoir, including being forced to turn down the role of Indiana Jones and seeing Cats on London’s West End 8½ times.

  • Selleck has stories aplenty about Hollywood and its legends, like being Mae West’s plus-one to film premieres, attending the Oscars with pal Carol Burnett and having Ted Danson come at him with a grappling hook (on-camera) years before Three Men and a Baby.

  • “I don't have any mission in the book other than entertain people,” Selleck told Yahoo Entertainment.

  • Why I’ll be reading: Humbly sharing stories from your life and the antics of fellow A-listers is exactly what a celebrity memoir should do. Selleck gets it.

Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly in the subdued lighting of
Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly in Dark Matter. (Apple TV+) (Apple TV+)

  • When: The first two episodes of Dark Matter stream May 8 on Apple TV+.

  • What to know: The nine-episode sci-fi thriller series is based on the bestselling book by Blake Crouch.

  • The show follows a family man and physicist (Joel Edgerton) who is kidnapped in Chicago and sent to an alternate version of his life that quickly turns into a nightmare.

  • As he tries to return home to the real world with his wife (Jennifer Connelly) and teenage son, he stumbles upon other realities and navigates various lives he could have lived.

  • Entertainment reporter Taryn Ryder points out that Apple TV+ has been dominating the sci-fi TV genre lately.

  • Why I'll be watching: Action and existential dread are an unbeatable combo to me. I can’t wait to dive in.

We’ll be back next week with our latest picks. Want more It List? Click here.

Are there other things you’re excited about? Let us know in the comments below.

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