British director Sam Mendes is going to make a separate film about each of the four band members of The Beatles. The plan fits in with the unexpected success of biographical music films in recent years.
British director Sam Mendes wants to make not one feature film about The Beatles, but four. A separate film is being planned for each band member, with the story told from their perspective. Film company Sony announced this on Tuesday. Mendes: “I have the honor of telling the story of the greatest rock band of all time.” Tom Rothman, CEO of Sony’s film division, responded: “ Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! ”
The film is scheduled to be released in 2027 by Sony and Mendes’ own production company. It is still unknown who will play in it. The surviving Beatles, bassist Paul McCartney (81) and drummer Ringo Starr (83), participate in the films. The widows of the late guitarists John Lennon and George Harrison are also on board. It is the first time that they have given permission for a dramatization of their lives.
Success of biographical music films
It is still unclear whether the four films will be released simultaneously or in a row. According to Sony, they will be released in an “innovative release cadence.” Trade magazine Variety writes that Sony is taking a financial risk by releasing four films about The Beatles in one year.
But the trade magazine also points to the unexpected success of biographical music films in recent years, for example about Queen, Elton John, Elvis and recently Bob Marley. Not to mention the enormous success of Taylor Swift’s concert recording The Eras Tour . Feature films about Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse and the Bee Gees are still in preparation.
Sam Mendes (1965) made his debut in 2000 with AmericanBeauty , awarded five Oscars. He later directed the suburb wedding film Revolutionary Road and he made special war films 1917 and Jarhead . The most successful James Bond films of all time Skyfall and Spectre are also his. His bond with music is evident from various musical productions.
The Beatles (1960-1970) remains the most successful and highly acclaimed British music group, thanks to dozens of famous songs such as Here Comes the Sun , Yesterday , Let it Be , Hey Jude . The band has been broken up for half a century, but works by and about The Beatles are still published every now and then. For example, McCartney made the new Beatles song last year Now and Then with AI-boosted contributions from the late John Lennon and George Harrison.
Many meters of film
Many meters of film have also been published about the band, but not so often fictional ones. ‘Only’ about 18. Backbeat (1994) depicts the band’s time playing in Hamburg nightclubs before they became famous. Nowhere Boy (2009) is about Lennon’s childhood. About six drama films were made about him; his life was the most dramatic of the four, partly because he was murdered in 1980. Yesterday (2019) imagines a world in which The Beatles did not exist, but in which one musician makes a name for himself with their works.
During their existence, The Beatles appeared in three of their own comedies: A Hard Day’s Night ; Help! and The Magical Mystery Tour . They are also the subject of surreal cartoons The Yellow Submarine .
The films about the band are often not short. Now there is even a four-parter on the way. Previously, for example, you had documentaries Anthology (11 hours), Get Back (8 hours) and George Harrison: Living in the Material World (3 hours).
In order to make something about The Beatles, it is almost impossible to avoid McCartney’s permission, which has the disadvantage that he carefully guards his version of reality. Seen from this perspective, the new four-part will probably not offer any surprises. But according to producer Pippa Harris, Mendes was given complete freedom to shape the stories to his liking.
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