The Beatles posing together. From left to right: musicians George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul ... [+]
The Beatles remain one of the most popular bands in the world, which is impressive, considering the fact that they split up more than half a century ago and two of the members are no longer with us. These truths haven’t dampened the public’s adoration, and anything connected to the group becomes a commercial success. In the coming years, all four members of the band will be the focus of feature-length films from one of the top directors in entertainment.
Deadline reported that the four members of The Beatles–Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, and John Lennon–will each get their own biopics. Each of the musicians will be the center of a different film, which means the team behind this ambitious project has just signed on to produce a quartet of related, but likely very different, movies.
The biopics are being helmed by Sam Mendes. The British filmmaker won an Academy Award in 2000 for directing American Beauty. He then returned to the Oscars in 2020 with a trio of nods, all for 1917. He’s also a three-time Tony Award nominee, and a two-time champion.
According to Deadline, this series marks the first time that the Beatles and their company, Apple Corps Ltd., have given their life rights to someone to make anything. These four movies are all set to earn theatrical releases at some point, as there is a huge audience who may be interested in these projects.
For the moment, no timeline has been given for when these movies might arrive in theaters–or even go into production. The Deadline exclusive reports that the pitches were only sold in December. It appears that writers have not even been hired for these films, so these are very early days for these biopics.
While The Beatles may not have granted their life rights to any filmmakers in the past, that doesn’t mean the band and its four members haven’t been the focus of countless pieces of media. The group’s catalog has been licensed for many movies, stage shows, documentaries, and more. The Fab Four were also the subject of a relatively recent Peter Jackson-directed docuseries that won several Emmys, including for the two remaining members, McCartney and Starr.
The Beatles split up officially in the early ‘70s, but they have remained beloved ever since. They continue to sell and stream albums and songs in huge numbers, week after week. The band returned in late 2023 with “Now and Then,” their first new single in decades. It quickly became a hit all around the world, despite a rocky start when some fans were concerned about the use of artificial intelligence in the making of the cut.
