It’s fair to say that “biographical” is Hollywood’s favorite genre, which means that it’s not exactly a selective one. Any news, then, of an attempt to do something creative with it is very much welcomed. That is what Sam Mendes is promising with his new, untitled Beatles biopic project, one that aims to offer a whole new theater-going experience.
Announced on Feb. 20, 2024, with a lot of enthusiasm from everyone involved, the production will encompass four separate films, each from the point of view of each of the four members of the history-making British band; John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. The four-film format is meant to “challenge the notion of what constitutes a trip to the movies” according to director Sam Mendes, who picked Sony Pictures Entertainment among many offers for distribution thanks to their vision for the theatrical release potential.
When is Sam Mendes’ 4-part Beatles biopic coming out?
The films are aiming for a 2027 release. The cadence of each part’s release, which has been described as “innovative and groundbreaking,” will be revealed closer to the date. This is the first scripted film to be granted full life story and music rights from the living members of the Beatles, as well as Lennon’s and Harrison’s estates, as well as Apple Corps Ltd. Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Sean Lennon, and Olivia Harrison reportedly responded to Mendes’ pitch with “warmth and enthusiasm.”
The movies will be the biggest Beatles biopic project since 1994’s Blackbeat and 2009’s Nowhere Boy, neither of which explored the thick of the band’s career.
Who is directing and writing the 4-part Beatles biopic?
British filmmaker Sam Mendes is the main face and talent attached to the project, confirmed to direct all four movies. He conceived the idea of interconnected stories, from different points of view, to paint a complete picture of the Beatles’ rise to fame, pitching it in Hollywood to “universal enthusiasm,” the director told Deadline. Mendes is best known for his 2019 World War I epic 1917 and 1999’s American Beauty, for which he was awarded the Oscar for Best Director. He also directed 2008’s Revolutionary Road, 2012’s Skyfall, and 2015’s Spectre.
There are no writers attached to the upcoming Beatles biopic project yet. According to Deadline, Mendes’s Neal Street Productions, The Beatles’ Apple Corps Ltd, and Sony Pictures are “locking down writers quickly.” Producer Pippa Harris says Mendes will “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.” That’s essentially half the recipe for a successful biopic in our book, so we’re allowing ourselves to raise our expectations just this once.