The legendary Beatles are returning, with Sam Mendes helming each member’s big-screen biopic that will immortalize them all, Sony Pictures announced on Tuesday.
“The project marks the first time (Beatles’ label) Apple Corps 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,” the studio stated in a statement.
Alongside Mendes, Pippa Harris will codirect the project. “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,” Harris said.
The movies are scheduled for release in 2027.
Nearly a billion records were sold during the ten-year partnership between McCartney, Lennon, Harrison, and Starr, which also produced a number of films and 14 best-selling albums.
However, the families of the band members have not approved The Beatles’ story being adapted for the big screen since the band’s dissolution.
Last fall, a new song called “Now and Then”—which was first recorded as a demo forty years ago—was developed and released with the aid of artificial intelligence, reaching the top of the British charts.
Numerous films have also been made about The Beatles, including the Peter Jackson-directed “The Beatles: Get Back” series, which sheds light on the events leading up to their breakup.
“American Beauty” and the James Bond movies “Skyfall” and “Spectre,” among other films that Mendes has directed,
Retracing great stories from the music industry, documentaries and biopics have proliferated in recent years on streaming services and in theaters.
“Elvis” portrayed the turbulent life of Elvis Presley, “Tina” celebrated Tina Turner, “Rocketman” detailed how Elton John took over the pop world, and “Bohemian Rhapsody” depicted the story of Queen.
