The Beatles New Biopics: Are They Necessary?
The Beatles fan community woke up to some wild news today (2/20/24). No, not an expanded Magical Mystery Tour audio box set with glorious outtakes of “I Am The Walrus” and “Your Mother Should Know.” Instead, there will be not one, but FOUR biopics released about the band, one for each member of The Beatles. Apparently Pete Best doesn’t get his own movie. It will have a very well respected producer/director running the show, Sam Mendes. Apple CEO Jeff Jones will serve as Executive Producer. Paul, Ringo and the Estates Of John Lennon and George Harrison have given their official blessing for the story and the music. There will likely be a huge budget for these films, as Sony is footing the bill for production and distribution. 2027 is the early call for release date of these films. It appears all of the right pieces are in place for this huge undertaking. My only question about The Beatles’ new biopics is, are they necessary?
The Story Has Already Been Told By Them
In 1995, The Beatles Anthology premiered and was the definitive telling of the amazing Beatles story, done by the group themselves. A coffee table book followed, also exclusively told by John, Paul, George and Ringo. Before that, there was the Maysles brothers’ excellent documentary, The Beatles First U.S. Visit, a behind the scenes look at their arrival in America. Even though the VHS cost me $89 when it first came out in 1991, I loved it. Of course for me, the OTHER definitive Beatles story is “Tune In,” the book series by Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn. Only one volume of Lewisohn’s crazily accurate biography has come out, at over 900 pages, and it only overs the time through the end of 1963. Volume two should be out in a few years. That’s probably all I’ll need to satisfy my quest for Beatles historical facts.
Time Will Tell How This Comes Together
I, for one, am skeptical as all get out. I don’t want to look at some actor’s face and imagine that’s Paul. Maybe that’s me. Now the race is on the get the writers and actors for this series of Fab Four films. Four movies in three years does seem a little ambitious, but maybe we’ll be surprised. I can only imagine the jockeying going on with agents trying to get their clients parts in these films! In the meantime, the internet comedians have already started commenting: