"I'm excited to challenge the notion of what constitutes a trip to the movies": Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes (American Beauty/Skyfall) to direct biopics for each of the four Beatles

The four members of The Beatles - Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr - are to be the subjects of four separate biopic feature films, directed by Oscar-winning English director Sam Mendes.

The bold and ambitious project, financed by Sony Pictures Entertainment, is the first time that The Beatles and Apple Corps Ltd. have granted permission for a film-maker to use full life story and music rights for scripted films, each of which will be told from the individual band member's own perspective.

“I’m honoured to be telling the story of the greatest rock band of all time,” Sam Mendes states, “and excited to challenge the notion of what constitutes a trip to the movies.”

Mendes' directorial CV includes the Oscar-winning American Beauty, James Bond films Skyfall and Spectre, and World War I drama 1917, which won three Oscars and seven BAFTAs (British Academy Film Awards).

The four Beatles films, touted for release in 2027, will be produced by Mendes’ Neal Street Productions partner Pippa Harris, and Julie Pastor, and executive produced by Apple Corps Ltd. CEO Jeff Jones.

Announcing the films, Jones says, “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. Sony Pictures’ enthusiastic support, championing the project’s scope and creative vision from the start, has been invaluable for all of us.”

“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,” says Pippa Harris. “To have The Beatles’ and Apple Corps’ blessing to do this is an immense privilege.”

Artists

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.