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The British director Sam Mendes has signed on to direct not one but four biopics about the Beatles, each telling the story of the Fab Four from a different member\u2019s point of view.<\/p>\n
Apple Corps, the guardian of the Beatles\u2019 musical interests, and Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and the families of John Lennon and George Harrison have granted full life story and music rights for the scripted films \u2014 a first \u2014 which will be financed and released by Sony Pictures Entertainment. The films are planned for release in 2027.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m honored to be telling the story of the greatest rock band of all time, and excited to challenge the notion of what constitutes a trip to the movies,\u201d Mendes said in a statement on Tuesday. The announcement teased that the films would be released in an \u201cinnovative and groundbreaking\u201d manner, but did not offer details.<\/p>\n
In recent years Mendes, the Oscar-winning director of \u201cAmerican Beauty,\u201d has helped refresh the James Bond franchise with \u201cSkyfall\u201d and told the story of two British lance corporals in World War I in \u201c1917.\u201d<\/a> As a theater director, he showed an ability to work with complicated biographical material over a long stretch of time with \u201cThe Lehman Trilogy<\/a>,\u201d a saga about the rise and fall of Lehman Brothers that earned him a Tony Award.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Biopics about pop stars have grown popular in recent years: \u201cBob Marley: One Love\u201d was on track to earn an estimated $33.2 million last weekend, following on the success of films including \u201cElvis\u201d in 2022 and \u201cBohemian Rhapsody\u201d in 2018.<\/p>\n The Beatles have shown strength with movie audiences since they starred in \u201cA Hard Day\u2019s Night\u201d in 1964, playing versions of themselves. Their fans continue to show an appetite for expansive projects: Peter Jackson\u2019s documentary series \u201cThe Beatles: Get Back,\u201d an over-seven-hour project, was released to much acclaim<\/a> in 2021 on Disney+.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n