Sam Mendes to direct 4 films about the Beatles, 1 for each band member
The story of the Beatles is about to be told on the big screen in a big way.
Sony Pictures just announced that Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes is on board to direct not one, but four movies about the Beatles, each one told from the point of view of a different band member.
The films mark the first time Apple Corps Ltd. and the Beatles have granted a studio the rights to the life stories of band members Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon and George Harrison, and their legendary catalog of music, according to a press release about the project from Sony Pictures Entertainment.
"I'm 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," Mendes, best known for such films as "American Beauty" and "Skyfall," shared in a statement.
So far, there's no word on when production will begin or who will be cast in each role. The studio promises an "innovative and groundbreaking" release for the films, which are due out in 2027.
While this is the first time the Beatles have supported a movie about the band, it isn't the first time they have been depicted on screen. The 1994 film "Backbeat" chronicled the early days of the Beatles, and in 2009, Aaron Taylor-Johnson played Lennon in the film "Nowhere Boy," which focused on the singer's teenage years.
The Beatles were also subject of the 2019 comedy "Yesterday," about a struggling musician who wakes up after an accident and discovers he's the only one in the world who remembers the Beatles.
