Sam Mendes will direct 4 films about The Beatles (one from each member's POV) to be theatrically released by Sony in 2027

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/20/24 at 12:36pm

This is a big swing and an ambitious idea by Mendes!

It could end up being a fiasco if done poorly...but I'm intrigued, and his track record is (mostly) good.
 

Mendes will direct all four of the films, and this marks the first time Apple CorpsLtd. 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.

Mendes conceived this grand vision. He’ll tell interconnected stories, one from each band member’s point of view. I’m told they are locking down writers quickly. All of this came about when Mendes pitched the project in Hollywood, and just about everyone flipped their mop-tops for it. Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Tom Rothman and Elizabeth Gabler sparked to the opportunity and won the package.

The dating cadence of the films will be revealed closer to the films’ release.

Updated On: 2/20/24 at 12:36 PM

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 2/20/24 at 1:02pm

Mirroring Mark Lewisohn's multi-volume biography of the Fabs... interesting.

[Plannietink08]

Posted: 2/20/24 at 1:40pm

Sounds like a really interesting way of doing it, I suppose. 
 

I wish Hidden Figures had been done this way. I always felt like all three of those women deserved their own biopics. 

[scripps]

Posted: 2/20/24 at 3:00pm

As someone who took a trek to Liverpool this past spring (the National Trust tour of McCartney's family home and Lennon's Aunt Mimi's posh digs cannot be recommended enough) I'm strangely unenthused about this but open to surprises.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/20/24 at 3:04pm

Plannietink08 said: "I wish Hidden Figures had been done this way. I always felt like all three of those women deserved their own biopics."

I think this sort of 4-film thing only works when it's about people as famous as THE BEATLES. Lesser known figures (such as those in Hidden Figures) could not sustain 4 films in a year. Heck, even The Beatles might not be able to sustain 4 films...

That this is not becoming a TV show is notable and is a testament to Mendes (who conceived the ida) as a filmmaker.

[Kad]

Posted: 2/20/24 at 3:51pm

I can't imagine the Ringo installment will do as well as the others.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 2/20/24 at 4:52pm

Maybe they'll get a big name to play Ringo, just to get people to see it.

This is really just a television series, I suppose, there is no real rationale for it to get extra gravitas because it will be in theaters.

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 2/20/24 at 6:14pm

"I can't imagine the Ringo installment will do as well as the others."

Yep. To be honest, I don't think George installment will do much better. Most people will only care about John & Paul IMO.

[SisterGeorge]

Posted: 2/20/24 at 6:45pm

Kad said: "I can't imagine the Ringo installment will do as well as the others."

Unless Mendes includes a lot of flash-forwards to the Barbara Bach era. 

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 2/20/24 at 7:00pm

I'm curious with how this will work with awards season. The Lord of the Rings trilogy was all shot at the same time, but was released over three years, so they all competed in different Oscars ceremonies. Are they going campaign for all 4 Beatles films at the 2028 Oscars? Are they going to release an additional "supercut" of the four movies and campaign that?

Also, loved this suggestion from Twitter: Ringo's POV is gonna be like when they did 30 Rock from Kenneth's perspective and he saw everyone as muppets

[buffalospeedway]

Posted: 2/20/24 at 8:34pm

Zeppie2022 said: ""I can't imagine the Ringo installment will do as well as the others."

Yep. To be honest, I don't think George installment will do much better. Most people will only care about John & Paul IMO."

I strongly disagree! George has a very dedicated fanbase. "Here Comes The Sun" is the most-streamed Beatles song on Spotify. He's always been my fave and I regard him best songwriter in the group. (For all the songs that John and Paul wrote, they never created a love song as arresting as "Something").

But he also has the most compelling arc of any of the four, especially during the sixties when the Beatles were active. It will be great to see how Mendes tackles his development as a songwriter. 

 

[buffalospeedway]

Posted: 2/20/24 at 9:28pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Plannietink08 said: "I wish Hidden Figures had been done this way. I always felt like all three of those women deserved their own biopics."

I think this sort of 4-film thing only works when it's about people as famous as THE BEATLES. Lesser known figures (such as those in Hidden Figures) could not sustain 4 films in a year. Heck, even The Beatles might not be able to sustain 4 films...

That this is not becoming a TV show is notable and is a testament to Mendes (who conceived the ida) as a filmmaker."

Like Plannietink08, I also think that 3 films about Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson would have been successful. It's all about getting an audience to buy into the world that you're building, which HIDDEN FIGURES successfully did. It made almost 240 million dollars (far over its 25 million budget) and was one of the most profitable releases of 2016.

 

[kdogg36]

Posted: 2/20/24 at 9:42pm

buffalospeedway said: "I strongly disagree! George has a very dedicated fanbase. "Here Comes The Sun" is the most-streamed Beatles song on Spotify. He's always been my fave and I regard himbest songwriter in the group. (For all the songs that John and Paul wrote, they never created a love song as arresting as "Something")."

I couldn't have said it better myself. As a Johnny-come-lately fan of The Beatles, I'm in awe of Harrison's compositions, including the two that you mention, especially considering he was a year or two younger than Lennon and McCartney. I'd say the three of them are on similar footing, all things being equal.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/20/24 at 10:05pm

Alex Kulak2 said: "I'm curious with how this will work with awards season. The Lord of the Rings trilogy wasall shot at the same time, but wasreleased over three years, so they all competed in different Oscars ceremonies. Are they going campaign for all 4 Beatles films at the 2028 Oscars? Are they going to release an additional "supercut" of the four movies and campaign that?"

They're all being released in 2027 as of now. So theoretically they'll be eligible as 4 individual films, as was the case with Steve McQueen's five-film Small Axe series (released on Amazon streaming in 2020), Clint Eastwood's Letters to Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers (both released in 2006), and Kevin Costner's upcoming Horizon (being released in 2 installments in 2024). But this all feels a little more ambitious than those examples, so who knows. I think Small Axe focused in on one or two to campaign.

Will be interesting to see if all 4 have the same writer, creative team, and cast or if that will vary film to film...like maybe they show different ages, or something impressionistic like Todd Haynes' I'm Not There?

I don't know if it will be good, but at a bare minimum it should be interesting!

Updated On: 2/20/24 at 10:05 PM

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 2/20/24 at 11:30pm

"I strongly disagree! George has a very dedicated fanbase. "Here Comes The Sun" is the most-streamed Beatles song on Spotify. He's always been my fave and I regard him best songwriter in the group. (For all the songs that John and Paul wrote, they never created a love song as arresting as "Something")."

I never said George was not a talented songwriter. He just did not have the volume of great songs that John and Paul did and that was not all his fault. Paul and John held him back and George only got a couple of songs each album. George may have a dedicated fanbase, but it is nothing in comparison to John or Paul, especially Paul. Even later in life, McCartney sold out stadium concerts all over the world. George lived a quiet and not very public life after the Beatles. John and Paul are also more interesting for a film because of the dynamic of their personal relationship which became very love/hate relationship.

"But he also has the most compelling arc of any of the four, especially during the sixties when the Beatles were active. It will be great to see how Mendes tackles his development as a songwriter."

Why was his arc compelling? He always wrote a song or two on an album and they were usually good songs. His best work was on the album "Abbey Road" when he wrote the beautiful songs "Something" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". Really, you don't thing the arc of the Lennon-McCartney songwriting team was compelling. They went from writing mostly simple two-minute love songs to thought provoking songs on "Rubber Soul"/"Revolver" to mind blowing "Sgt. Pepper", to the very diverse "White Album" and finishing it with the fantastic "Abbey Road". (the medley by McCartney at the end is awesome).

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 2/20/24 at 11:46pm

"I couldn't have said it better myself. As a Johnny-come-lately fan of The Beatles, I'm in awe of Harrison's compositions, including the two that you mention, especially considering he was a year or two younger than Lennon and McCartney. I'd say the three of them are on similar footing, all things being equal."

I have been a major Beatle fan for years; no way George is on similar footing as John or Paul. George wrote two great songs and a couple of good ones. John and Paul wrote hundreds of good/great songs. I could go on forever but let's list some of the great Paul songs like "Yesterday", "Hey Jude", "Let It Be", "Get Back", "Helter Skelter", "Penny Lane", Got To Get You Into My Life" and "Here There and Everywhere" to name a few. John did great songs like "Nowhere Man", "Day in the Life", "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Norwegian Wood" and "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds". 

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 2/21/24 at 5:47am

"Sam Mendes offered me the role." - Patti LuPone 

[SweetLips22]

Posted: 2/22/24 at 3:29pm

What about the one who wasn't?

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 2/22/24 at 6:03pm

I'm trying to figure out why a topic on film is on the main Broadway message board and not on the off-topic message board, and as much as I love the Fab 4...four separate films is so excessive IMO. 

[Impeach2017]

Posted: 2/23/24 at 5:11am

But why ?  The Beatles were great, but with this new generation of movie goers and Tik Tok drones, they are becoming just distant memories.

[buffalospeedway]

Posted: 2/24/24 at 7:56pm

Zeppie2022 said: ""I strongly disagree! George has a very dedicated fanbase. "Here Comes The Sun" is the most-streamed Beatles song on Spotify. He's always been my fave and I regard him best songwriter in the group. (For all the songs that John and Paul wrote, they never created a love song as arresting as "Something")."

I never said George was not a talented songwriter. He just did not have the volume of greatsongs that John and Paul did and that was not all his fault. Paul and John held him back and George only got a couple of songs each album. George may have a dedicated fanbase, but it is nothing in comparison to John or Paul, especially Paul. Even later in life, McCartney sold out stadiumconcerts all over the world. George lived a quiet and not very public life after the Beatles. John and Paul are also more interesting for a film because of the dynamic of their personal relationship which became very love/hate relationship.

"But he also has the most compelling arc of any of the four, especially during the sixties when the Beatles were active. It will be great to see how Mendes tackles his development as a songwriter."

Why was his arc compelling?He always wrote a song or two on an album and they were usually good songs. His best work was on the album "Abbey Road" when he wrote the beautiful songs "Something" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". Really, you don't thing the arc of the Lennon-McCartney songwriting team was compelling. They went from writing mostly simple two-minute love songs to thought provoking songs on "Rubber Soul"/"Revolver" to mind blowing "Sgt. Pepper", to the very diverse "White Album" and finishing it with the fantastic "Abbey Road". (the medley by McCartney at the end is awesome)."

George's arc is compelling because he went from teenage lead guitarist (hired to play the guitar parts that John and Paul couldn't) to legendary songwriter, despite John and Paul's attempts to control him. 

And he had more than 2 great songs. Neither John nor Paul had a post-Beatles album as great as All Things Must Pass.

Beatles fans who try to argue that George is less talented or less impactful than John or Paul don't understand the group's legacy. Most critically acclaimed bands have 1 or 2 great songwriters. The Beatles had 3. That's why they are regarded as the greatest rock band ever.

 

[buffalospeedway]

Posted: 2/24/24 at 8:00pm

kdogg36 said: "buffalospeedway said: "I strongly disagree! George has a very dedicated fanbase. "Here Comes The Sun" is the most-streamed Beatles song on Spotify. He's always been my fave and I regard him as the best songwriter in the group. (For all the songs that John and Paul wrote, they never created a love song as arresting as "Something")."

I couldn't have said it better myself. As a Johnny-come-lately fan of The Beatles, I'm in awe of Harrison's compositions, including the two that you mention, especially considering he was a year or two younger than Lennon and McCartney. I'd say the three of them are on similar footing, all things being equal."

Thanks, and absolutely! George was the baby of the Beatles, but he certainly distinguished himself!