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There have been plenty of movies that are about the Beatles in one way or another — including a few that the band made when they were still a band — but there’s never been a proper full-on Beatles biopic. Apparently, that’s about to change in a very significant way. Sam Mendes — the Oscar-winning director behind American Beauty, 1917, Skyfall, and plenty of others — is planning to direct four different Beatles biopics, with a different movie about each individual Beatle. He’s got full life and music rights for all of them, and they’re all supposed to come out theatrically in 2027.
The idea of an extended Beatles cinematic universe seems utterly insane, but that’s what’s happening. Variety reports that Mendes is working with Sony on all four movies, and Apple Corps, the Beatles’ company, is involved in the production. In a statement, Mendes says, “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.”
We all love to make fun of music biopics, but they continue to do brisk business. This past weekend, Bob Marley: One Love earned about $80 million at the global box office, despite dismal reviews. The Beatles are basically the rock-biopic white whale, and we’ll have to see whether this ambitious project pays off. Personally, I’m hoping the Ringo movie is full-on slapstick comedy.