NUEVA YORK.- The Beatles They will each have a biographical film that will put the Fab Four in the spotlight under the direction of Sam Mendes.
For the first time, The Beatles, who for years refused to give up their copyright, will open the doors to their life and music to a film project. Sony Pictures announced a deal that could dwarf all musical biopics that have come before it, under which the stories of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr will be told in a quartet of films.
It is expected that the films, conceived by Mendes, will be released in theaters in an innovative way and will be able to coexist in theaters. Precise release plans will be announced at a later date. Sony expects them to be released in 2027.
Perspectives The Beatles
McCartney, Starr and the families of John Lennon and George Harrison approved the project through the band’s company Apple Corps Ltd. Sony Music Publishing controls the rights to most of The Beatles’ songs.
“I am honored to tell 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 statement.
Each film will be told from the perspective of a Beatle.
“We intend for this to be a unique, exciting and epic cinematic experience: four films, told from four different perspectives, telling a single story about the most famous band of all time,” said producer Pippa Harris. “Having the blessing of The Beatles and Apple Corps to do this is an immense privilege.
The Beatles’ most famous forays into film were in their early years. Between 1964 and 1970, they appeared in five films, including A Hard Days Night (What a night that day!) from 1964 and the animated Yellow Submarine 1968. Of course, they have been the subject of many documentaries, most recently by Peter Jackson from 2021 The Beatles: Get Back.
Artificial intelligence
In 2023, the four Beatles reunited with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the newly released song Now and Then. The recording was possible thanks to the technology used by Jackson in Get Backand had a music video made by the New Zealand director.
Attempts to dramatize the story of The Beatles have been more sporadic and less impactful. A 1979 biographical film, made when Lennon was still alive, called The Birth of the Beatles was produced with the band’s original drummer, Pete Best, as advisor. The 1994 independent drama Backbeat (Backbeat: the beginning) It chronicled Lennon’s relationship with the poet and bassist Stuart Sutcliffe before The Beatles were famous. Nowhere Boy (My name is John Lennon) 2009 film starred Aaron Taylor-Johnson as a teenage Lennon.
Biographical productions in Hollywood
But in the last decade, music biographies have become big business. box office hits like Bohemian Rhapsody, about Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury; Rocketman, about Elton John; and Elvisabout the King Of Rock have had Hollywood executives chasing the next box office hit. Bob Marley: One Love, released on Valentine’s Day and produced with the Marley estate, was the number one movie in theaters in the United States and Canada. A biographical film of Michael Jackson that is in production will soon be released.
Today’s film events must be culturally impactful. Sam’s bold, large-scale idea is that and then some, said Tom Rothman, president and CEO of Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group.
“The combination of the Mendes team with the music and stories of four young people who changed the world will shake audiences around the planet, added Rothman. We are deeply grateful to all parties and hope to break some rules with the unique artistic vision from Sam.
FUENTE: AP
