According to Variety.com, Zemeckis is trying to work out a rights deal that would allow him to use 16 classic Beatles songs, including “Yellow Submarine,”  “All Together Now,” “Baby You’re a Rich Man,” “All You Need Is Love,” “When I’m 64,” “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

“Yellow Submarine” is based on the Beatles’ music, with the film’s title hailing from the 1966 song of the same name. The tune, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and featuring Ringo Starr on lead vocals, first appeared on Revolver and then on the film’s soundtrack.

The film features a whimsical paradise under the sea inhabited by Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in a battle of good vs. evil against the music-hating Blue Meanies. After the Blue Meanies kidnap the band in a music-proof bubble, the Beatles are fetched from Liverpool to travel to Pepperland in the yellow submarine and save the day. Actors provided the voices for the cartoon Beatles and the real-deal Paul, John, George and Ringo didn’t appear until the film’s closing scene. 

If the rights deal, which has been months in the making, is approved, Zemeckis would remake “Yellow Submarine,” in a performance-capture 3-D digital production format (which turns the movements of live actors into animated characters and makes for somewhat creepy cartoons), according to Variety.com.  The director used this technique in 2004’s “The Polar Express” and 2007’s “Beowulf.” Zemeckis’ version of “A Christmas Carol,” which stars Jim Carrey and is set for release Nov. 6, also features this style.

The premiere of the “Yellow Submarine,” which would be produced by Zemeckis’ ImageMovers, would coincide with the 2012 Summer Olympics, which kick off July 27 in London.

Variety.com reports that according to sources, the rights deal would also include a Broadway stage musical, a Cirque du Soleil stage production (a la the Beatles’ “Love”) and merchandise.

So, what do you think?

Are you totally creeped out by performance capture flicks?

Do you think “Yellow Submarine” shouldn’t be messed with?

Or were you not a fan of the original flick to begin with? 

Click here for the Variety.com story.