6 months ago
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Well this is completely unexpected yet entirely delightful news: Sam Mendes has secured the rights to helm a Beatles biopic project. In a move as unique as the Fab Four themselves, Mendes will direct not one but four films, one for each band member. The press release says they’re still speaking with writers (and the projected release date isn’t until 2027 at the earliest), so no sense yet on how each film will reflect its particular Beatle. But already I’m getting Rashomon meets The Alexandria Quartet vibes. I feel like this whole endeavor is going to be either wonderfully imaginative, or a big disappointment. Oh how I hope they pull it off! The producers issued (gushing) statements when the news broke:
It’s a big coup to have gotten all parties on board: In a move that ought to make fans of The Beatles twist and shout, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Oscar-winning filmmaker Sam Mendes and his Neal Street Productions have set plans to make four separate theatrical films, one on each of the members of music’s most famous and enduring band. Mendes will direct all four of the films, and this marks the first time Apple Corp Ltd. and The Beatles — Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and the families of John Lennon and George Harrison — have granted full life story and music rights for a scripted film.
From Sam Mendes: “We went out to L.A. just before Christmas to pitch the project, and it’s fair to say we were met with universal enthusiasm,” Mendes told Deadline. “The reason Sony stood out from competing offers was down to Tom [Rothman] and Elizabeth [Gabler]’s passion for the idea, and commitment to propelling these films theatrically in an innovative and exciting way.” In addition to directing all four films, Mendes will produce alongside his Neal Street Productions partner Pippa Harris and Neal Street’s Julie Pastor. Jeff Jones will be executive producer for Apple Corps Ltd.
From Pippa Harris, Mendes’ producing partner: “This project springs from an idea of Sam’s which he had over a year ago, and it’s a testament to his creative brilliance and powers of persuasion that Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Sean Lennon and Olivia Harrison responded with such warmth and enthusiasm as soon as he spoke with them,” said Harris. … “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 Harris in a statement. “To have The Beatles’ and Apple Corps’ blessing to do this is an immense privilege.” … Harris told Deadline: “What is truly exciting is for Sam to have the freedom to delve into the lives of each of the Beatles, with nothing off limits and no sense of the band wanting him to tell a particular ‘authorized’ version of their rise to success.”
From Sony Pictures Chairman/CEO Tom Rothman: “I know I speak for our CEO Tony Vinciquerra, who was instrumental in making this happen, and every Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group colleague around the world when I say: ‘yeah, yeah, yeah!’ Theatrical movie events today must be culturally seismic. Sam’s daring, large-scale idea is that and then some. Pairing his premiere filmmaking team, with the music and the stories of four young men who changed the world, will rock audiences all over the globe. We are deeply grateful to all parties and look forward ourselves to breaking some rules with Sam’s uniquely artistic vision.”
Like I said, I’m really rooting for this concept to work. And I have a million questions already. Will it be the same writer(s) for all four films, or is the intention to have a different writer/voice for each one? Building off of that, will the creative teams be the same for all the films? If I were in Sam’s shoes (let me dream!) I would want each film to be as distinct from one another as possible. So I would lean into a different costume designer, production designer, director of photography, composer, etc for each film, to fully create four separate cinematic landscapes. This isn’t the place for your run-of-the-mill biopic. Any true nod to The Beatles would take a really big swing at risky, cheeky, silly, inventive, searing, spiritual, human choices. But what do I know? Half of what I say is meaningless…
Photos credit: JW / Bang Showbiz / Avalon and Getty
