The Beatles Are Getting a Cinematic Universe of Biopics

The four Beatles members will be the subjects of a quartet of upcoming biopics telling the band’s story from each perspective.

The upcoming feature films about John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr were conceived by Sam Mendes, who directed American Beauty, 1917 and two James Bond films, Skyfall and Spectre. Mendes will also direct the four new Beatles movies, which are scheduled to be in theaters in 2027.

“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 said in a press release announcing the project.

“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,” added Pippa Harris, Mendes’ partner at his Neal Street Productions. “To have the Beatles’ and Apple Corps’ blessing to do this is an immense privilege. From our first meeting with [Sony Pictures executives] Tom Rothman and Elizabeth Gabler, it was clear that they shared both our passion and ambition for this project.”

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The upcoming films mark the first time Apple Corps Ltd. and the Beatles have allowed their full stories and music to be used in scripted features. “Apple Corps is delighted … 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.”

McCartney, Starr and the families of Lennon and Harrison have approved the projects, which will detail each member’s tale of the Beatles’ story, with their viewpoints intersecting among the four films.

Which Movies Are About the Beatles?

In addition to the films the Beatles appeared in during the band’s lifetime – A Hard Day’s Night, Help!, Magical Mystery Tour, the animated Yellow Submarine and Let It Be – they have been the subjects of several movies over the years, including the 1979 biopic Birth of the Beatles and 2009’s Nowhere Boy, about Lennon.

Other features include documentaries (from 1964’s Around the Beatles to 2021’s The Beatles: Get Back) and movies inspired by the band (1978’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 2019’s Danny Boyle-directed Yesterday).