The Beatles to get four biopic movies directed by Sam Mendes.
Each film will be from the perspective of a Beatle.
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Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh is set to star in the action-thriller film The Mother from director Melanie Laurent.
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“We intend this to be a uniquely thrilling, and epic cinematic experience: Four films, told from four different perspectives which tell a single story about the most celebrated band of all time,” said producer Pippa Harris. “To have The Beatles’ and Apple Corps’ blessing to do this is an immense privilege.”
The Beatles' most famous forays into film were in their early years. Between 1964 and 1970, they appeared in five movies, including A Hard Day’s Night (1964) and the animated Yellow Submarine (1968). They’ve, of course, been the subject of many documentaries, most recently Peter Jackson's 2021 The Beatles: Get Back.
The Beatles are getting the big-screen biopic treatment in not just one film, but a Fab Four of movies that will put each band member in their own movie spotlight – all of which are to be directed by Sam Mendes.
For the first time, the Beatles, long among the stingiest rights granters, are giving full life and music rights to a movie project. Sony Pictures announced on Monday (Feb 19) a deal that may dwarf all music biopics that have come before it, with the stories of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr spread out over a quartet of films.
The films, conceived by Mendes, are expected to roll out theatrically in an innovative fashion, with the movies potentially coexisting or intersecting in theatres. Precise release plans will be announced at a later date. Sony is targeting 2027 for their release.
McCartney, Starr and the families of John Lennon and George Harrison have all signed off on the project through the band's Apple Corps Ltd. Sony Music Publishing controls the rights to the majority of Beatles songs.
“I’m honoured to be telling the story of the greatest rock band of all time, and excited to challenge the notion of what constitutes a trip to the movies,” Mendes said in a statement.
Each film will be from the perspective of a Beatle.
"UNIQUELY THRILLING"
In 2023, the Beatles reunited with the aid of artificial intelligence in the newly released song Now and Then. The recording was made possible by technology used by Jackson on Get Back, and featured a music video made by the New Zealand director.
Attempts to dramatise the Beatles’ story have been more sporadic and less impactful. A 1979 biopic, made when Lennon was still alive, called The Birth Of The Beatles was produced with Beatles original drummer Pete Best as an adviser. The 1994 indie drama Backbeat chronicled Lennon’s relationship with Stuart Sutcliffe before the Beatles were famous. Nowhere Boy (2009) starred Aaron Taylor-Johnson as a teenage Lennon.
In the last decade, music biopics have become big business. Box-office hits like Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman and Elvis have sent Hollywood executives chasing the next jukebox blockbuster.Â
“Theatrical movie events today must be culturally seismic. Sam’s daring, large-scale idea is that and then some," said Tom Rothman, chair and chief executive of Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group.
The combination of Mendes' team “with the music and the stories of four young men who changed the world, will rock audiences all over the globe”, Rothman said. "We are deeply grateful to all parties and look forward ourselves to breaking some rules with Sam’s uniquely artistic vision.”
