Four Fab Four films forthcoming
Four filmes, one from each member of The Beatles’ perspective. Photo: Apple Corps Ltd.
Apple Corps press release:
SAM MENDES/NEAL STREET PRODUCTIONS TO MAKE LANDMARK BEATLES BIOPIC PROJECT FOR SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT
FOUR FEATURE FILMS, ONE FROM EACH BAND MEMBER’S PERSPECTIVE, WILL HAVE GLOBAL THEATRICAL RELEASE IN 2027
Culver City, CA (February 20, 2024) — Today, Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), Sam Mendes, and Neal Street Productions announced a groundbreaking creative endeavor to tell the story of The Beatles with four distinct theatrical feature films. The project marks the first time Apple Corps Ltd. 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.
As conceived by Mendes, who will direct, the four theatrical feature films – one from each band member’s point-of-view – will intersect to tell the astonishing story of the greatest band in history.
SPE will finance and distribute worldwide with full theatrical windows in 2027. The dating cadence of the films, the details of which will be shared closer to release, will be innovative and groundbreaking.
Mendes will direct all four films and produce alongside his Neal Street Productions partner Pippa Harris and Neal Street’s Julie Pastor. Jeff Jones will executive produce for Apple Corps Ltd.
“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,” said Sam Mendes.
“We intend this to be a uniquely thrilling, and epic cinematic experience: four films, told from four different perspectives which tell a single story about the most celebrated band of all time,” said Pippa Harris. “To have The Beatles’ and Apple Corps’ blessing to do this is an immense privilege. From our first meeting with Tom Rothman and Elizabeth Gabler, it was clear that they shared both our passion and ambition for this project, and we can’t think of a more perfect home than Sony Pictures.”
“Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!" Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sam Mendes, and Neal Street Productions announced a groundbreaking creative endeavor to tell the story of #TheBeatles with four distinct theatrical feature films.
The project marks the first time Apple Corps Ltd. and The Beatles… pic.twitter.com/b7uqEv1zig
— Sony Pictures (@SonyPictures) February 20, 2024
“Apple Corps is delighted to collaborate with Sam, Pippa and Julie to explore each Beatle’s unique story and to bring them together in a suitably captivating and innovative way,” said Apple Corps Ltd. CEO Jeff Jones. “Sony Pictures’ enthusiastic support, championing the project’s scope and creative vision from the start, has been invaluable for all of us.”
“I know I speak for our CEO Tony Vinciquerra, who was instrumental in making this happen, and every Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group colleague around the world when I say: ‘yeah, yeah, yeah!’” said Tom Rothman, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group. “Theatrical movie events today must be culturally seismic. Sam’s daring, large-scale idea is that and then some. Pairing his premiere filmmaking team, with the music and the stories of four young men who changed the world, will rock audiences all over the globe. We are deeply grateful to all parties and look forward ourselves to breaking some rules with Sam’s uniquely artistic vision.”
Have you heard the news? Oh boy. We all support the Sam Mendes movie project. Yes, indeed. peace and love.😎🎶🌈✌️🌟❤️☮️ pic.twitter.com/byhnmVqsHY
— #RingoStarr (@ringostarrmusic) February 20, 2024
About Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Group Corporation. SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition, and distribution; television production, acquisition, and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. Sony Pictures Television operates dozens of wholly-owned or joint-venture production companies around the world. SPE’s Motion Picture Group production organizations include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, 3000 Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films, AFFIRM Films, Sony Pictures International Productions, and Sony Pictures Classics. For additional information, visit http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/divisions.html
About Neal Street Productions
Neal Street Productions is run by Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Caro Newling, and Nicolas Brown. Neal Street has successfully produced award-winning film, TV and theatre for 20 years and is an All3Media company.
Neal Street’s film projects have included 1917, the First World War epic, directed by Sam Mendes and co-written by Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns for Amblin and Universal. The film won over 100 awards, including 2 Golden Globes for Best Picture and Best Director, 3 Academy Awards and 7 BAFTAs including Best Film, Best British Film and Best Director. Neal Street also produced Revolutionary Road for Paramount and DreamWorks, Things We Lost in the Fire for DreamWorks, and Jarhead for Universal. More recently, Neal Street released Empire of Light, for Searchlight Pictures, written and directed by Sam Mendes, starring Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward, Colin Firth and Toby Jones
Neal Street’s diverse television slate includes the hugely successful Call the Midwife which in 2023 was voted the best TV show of the last 25 years in a Radio Times poll. Series 13 is currently airing on the BBC and the Christmas Special was the most watched TV show in the UK over the festive period. Other dramas include Stuart A Life Backwards for HBO starring Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch. John Logan’s Penny Dreadful and Penny Dreadful: City of Angels for Showtime; the award-winning The Hollow Crown for the BBC; three series of Jez Butterworth’s Britannia for Sky/Epix, and the BAFTA-nominated, contemporary thriller Informer for BBC/Amazon.
Neal Street is currently in production on The Franchise, an original TV comedy series by Jon Brown for HBO. The pilot is directed by Sam Mendes.
In theatre, their current productions performing in the West End are The Hills of California, a new play written by Jez Butterworth and directed by Sam Mendes. Jack Thorne’s The Motive and The Cue and Hamnet, based on Maggie O’Farrell’s best-selling book. Other productions include Jez Butterworth’s Olivier and Tony award-winning The Ferryman; and the Tony award-winning The Lehman Trilogy which had sell-out runs on both sides of the Atlantic and will be starting a limited-run international tour in Sydney from 26th February 2024.
Neal Street Productions joined the All3Media group in 2015. All3Media is owned jointly between Discovery Communications and Liberty Global.
if they are going to be documentaries then I can’t wait! If its actors playing the parts, then I have zero interest. I mean – what would be the point?
These are biopics, in the same vein as “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Rocketman”, “Elvis”, “Bob Marley – One Love” and the upcoming Amy Winehouse movie. So, it’ll be scripts acted out by actors.
oh dear. Those films were factually incorrect fluff stories for the semi-interested. Strong pass for me then.
I’m skeptical. Biopics are written for entertainment, not accuracy. Obviously, it’s impossible to cast actors who are identical to any of the major players in the story – not just the Beatles themselves, which for many, may make it difficult to watch. Backbeat worked because it was set during a time before every minute of their lives had been documented so accuracy wasn’t a problem. If you stick to the facts and documented dialogue you will create a film that’s stiff and laughable – like Birth of The Beatles. The risk here is that there are millions of historians who have made the Beatles a lifelong study, and they will influence critical opinion. If you create events and dialogue that are “based on” the Beatles’ story, they will be enjoyable films, but they will be criticised for being inauccrate.
It would need to be as good as ‘Backbeat’ which I loved, though would have loved it to be a documentary!
Eh. All those TV movie bio-pics on the Fabs have been fairly dire. What makes anyone expect this to be more than glossy fan fiction?
Who’s gonna be writing the scripts?? That’s a lot more important than who’s playing who.
I bet Apple Corps are doing this in hope to recruit a new generation of Beatles fans, just like they did with the Anthology TV series, the release of “1”, “Love”, and The Beatles RockBand game.
You may well be right!
I’d prefer the 1960s cartoons as a fictional representation of the Beatles! At least those weren’t so anachronistic …
Great news, and it makes me wonder how it’s going to be: 2027 is far ahead and I suppose that the technology in that era will be sci-fi from our point of view of 2024, maybe the actors will be half humans and half A.I. , the good thing about it is that is an official release, so the music will be outstanding (maybe a 2027 remix of all the albums?). And the most important is that the new generations will discover for the first time the story of the band. Saludos desde Argentina
If they are anything like that inaccurate Nowhere Boy crap, then count me out.
And I hope John isn’t portrayed Ian Hart style, as a permanently sneering sarky cynic with an aggressive voice. Or Paul, as a fruity voiced Eddie Yeats who wobbles his head all the time.
Hahaha! Nailed it.
Speaking as someone with a teenage daughter who is now a dedicated Queen fan because of Bohemian Rhapsody, this sounds awesome. The concert will be attention-getting and if done well fascinating.
People love the legend and then learn the facts.
My apathy can hardly contain itself
I’m kinda interested in the “Ringo” movie…but the other three, not so much.