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Perhaps the most ambitious music film project of the decade becomes more specific: Sam Mendes’ four-part Beatles film series has found its screenwriters. As reports “Deadline”, Jez Butterworth, Peter Straughan and Jack Thorne are to work on the script of “The Beatles – A Four Part Cinematic Event”. It is still unclear whether you take one of the four films or work together at all work.
The authors bring this with them – from “James Bond” to “Conclave” to “Adolescence”
Butterworth not only brings theater-prestige (Tony Award for “The Ferryman”), but also plenty of film experience. Among other things, he wrote to the Oscar-nominated “Le Mans 66” (alias “Ford V Ferrari”) and “James Bond 007: Specter”, where he already worked with Mendes. He also has experience in the biopic cosmos: the 2014 film “Get on Up” about the life of music legend James Brown bears his handwriting.
Straughan was just getting the Oscar for the best adapted script for the thriller “Konklave” (2024), in which he was also executive producer. Otherwise his previous filmography is a mixture of comedy (“Frank”) and spy thrillers (“lady, king, as, spy”).
Jack Thorne has just participated in a project celebrated by the criticism. The British Miniseries “Adolescence”, in which Throne was both a screenwriter, executive producer and creator, is still on everyone’s lips.
The Beatles-Biopic: A project with large ambitions
The Beatles-Biopic film series was first presented at Cinemacon 2025 and is to appear in the cinema in 2028-within one month. Each part is dedicated to one of the four band members: John Lennon (played by Harris Dickinson), Paul McCartney (Paul Mescal), George Harrison (Joseph Quinn) and Ringo Starr (Barry Keoghan).
Sony produces the cinema project together with Apple Corps Ltd. -the official Beatles company. There is a special feature: it is the first fully authorized biopic of the band. “The Beatles have changed my understanding of music,” says Mendes on the Cinemacon. He has been working on this project for years, now it is finally picking it up.