‘The Beatles*’ By Sam Mendes.
Oscar winner Sam Mendes (1917) and Sony Pictures Entertainment have set out to make an ambitious project. Four separate theatrical films about each of the Beatles members. Mendes will direct all four of the films and his Neal Street Productions will produce the pic. While there are no actors or writers attached yet, Deadline reports they are locking down writers quickly. Sony Pictures will finance and distribute worldwide with full theatrical windows in 2027.
While no casting is officially announced, there have been heavy rumors about some actors portraying the members including; Harris Dickinson (John Lennon), Paul Mescal (Paul McCartney), Barry Keoghan (Ringo Starr) and Charlie Rowe (George Harrison)
Premise: Four separate theatrical films, one on each of the members of music’s most famous and enduring band, The Beatles’ Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon and George Harrison. They’ll tell interconnected stories, one from each band member’s point of view leading up their 1970 breakup.
Mendes conceived this grand vision. this marks the first time Apple Corps Ltd. and The Beatles — Paul, Ringo and the families of Gorge Harrison and John Lennon — have granted full life story and music rights for a scripted film. the dating cadence of the films will be revealed closer to the films’ release.
All of this came to “American Beauty” Oscar winner Sam Mendes’ head about a year ago. and he pitched the project in Hollywood, and just about everyone flipped their heads for it. Sony Pictures’ Tom Rothman and Elizabeth Gabler, who gravitate to the most ambitious and prestige stuff, sparked to the opportunity and won the package.
“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”. told Mendes to Deadline. “The reason why Sony stood out from competing offers was down to Tom and Elizabeth’s passion for the idea and commitment to propelling these films theatrically in an innovative and exciting way”.
The latest bit of update comes from a Production List, and it reports a July 2025 shoot in London.
a report from “TheInSneider” states that Mendes and Sony plan to release all four films on the same date. If this happens, many have suggested that they’ll pay to see the John Lennon and Paul McCartney movies first.
If Sony does end up releasing all four films at once, then it would save them plenty on marketing costs.
There have been terrific documentaries released on Beatles; Peter Jackson’s “The Beatles: Get back” released on Disney+ as an example.
CAA brokered the deal for Mendes and Neal street with Sony. Mendes last directed the acclaimed but underperforming “Empire of Light”, inspired by his mother. And the World War I epic “1917”, which was inspired by his grandfather’s harrowing experience as a runner in the trenches. He also helmed one of the most acclaimed Bond film - “Skyfall” and it’s follow up “Spectre”.
There has been a surge in popularity in Hollywood for music biopics and films. After successful hits like Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” and Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour”. several other biopics about musical legends are in the works; Antoine Fuqua’s “Michael” — about Michael Jackson, James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown” about Bob Dylan and Ridley Scott is in talks to direct a movie about the rise of the Bee Gees.
There’s also a rumor that Mendes’ regular collaborator and Oscar winning cinematographer Roger Deakins was asked to DP on the four films. We wish that will be true.
Sony has stated that they will release all four films in 2027 in “a new and groundbreaking way”.
