The Beatles Bio-Pics: 10 Things I Wish for the Beatles Film Series

 

If there was ever the story of someone monumental that people want to see on the big screen, it would have to be an audacious project. A film about the Beatles would fit that description but one film covering the lives of John, Paul, George, and Ringo would impossibly considering that the story of the Beatles do not play into the conventions of what is expected in a bio-pic. News about a bio-pic on the Beatles have been told over many years but in February of last year. British director Sam Mendes announced plans to direct and produce not one but four films about the Beatles with each film told from the perspective of one of the Beatles. It is an idea that could work in which audiences can see period of the Beatles be shown by one of them and another period from another Beatle.

This is the right way to go and with the announcement of the four actors to play the Beatles in Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr. The potential for something astronomical is happening yet this is only the beginning as the film is set for an April 2028 release. Still, there is a long way to go in not just writing the script on all four films but also the approach into the narrative of the Beatles on where to start and where to end. There is also no announcement about who else will be in the film. There are a lot of things audiences want to see in these films about the Beatles as I have produced a list of 10 things I want to see in these four films about the Beatles.

1. Balanced Perspectives of the Period from the Beatles

If one were to make a film about the Beatles told from the perspective of one member of the Beatles. Each film must share a similar running time but also coverage of how they saw things from a certain period of the band’s career. The idea of how Ringo saw things when he was officially part of the band, and the early days of Beatlemania would have him deal with sudden fame and such could be an example. In John’s story, it could be the third film in how he coped with the death of the band’s manager Brian Epstein, his failing marriage to Cynthia Powell, and how he met Yoko is another idea. There are many ways the story of the Beatles could be told as there is a period of 13 years from their formation to their dissolution that could split into four parts. The thing that needs to work is that each film must have a strong narrative to see how all four of these men saw things.

2. Not Playing into Traditional and Cliched Bio-Pic Narratives

Music bio-pics have become big hits in the box office although not everyone is happy about it as some claim that these films are Wikipedia pages on films that tells a basic element of the story but not the whole story. With the Beatles, a traditional narrative does not work because there is so much ground to cover not just the music, they were making but also the cultural impact they had on the world. Jake Kasdan’s 2007 spoof film Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story made fun of those conventional narrative takes to the point that recent films such as Bohemian Rhapsody on Queen, Baz Luhrmann’s film about Elvis Presley, and the recent film on Bob Marley in Bob Marley: One Love play too heavily in these traditional narratives where an artist rises, falls, alienates certain people, make a comeback, and then die.

With the Beatles, it does not work in that way as films such as Todd Haynes’ anti bio-pic on Bob Dylan in I’m Not There and Oren Moverman’s film on Brian Wilson in Love & Mercy strayed from those narratives. With the Beatles, they do not fit into those conventions and condensing certain things about parts of the band’s story would be upsetting to fans of the Beatles. Since it is also likely to not be a conventional bio-pic, this would allow Mendes and his crew to present the film in different ways in terms of its photography and film formats.

3. The Presentation of the Music

Music rights have been a particular issue in why certain films about artists could not be made though some have attempted to make films without the music of that artist as the 2020 film Stardust about David Bowie’s first trip to America in 1971 was poorly-received as one of its faults was that the filmmakers were refused permission to use his music by Bowie’s estate including Bowie’s son Duncan Jones. Mendes is fortunate that he is working with Apple Corp Ltd. CEO Jeff Jones in the film as he will get to use the music of the Beatles. Yet, Mendes does need to avoid making the four films into a musical jukebox as every fan knows the hits but there are also album tracks and deep cuts that the fans would want to hear.

Another thing that Mendes wants to avoid is what Baz Luhrmann did with his Elvis movie had other artists interpret the Beatles as the result of what Luhrmann did polarized audiences as some of those songs were used with modern equipment including Autotune that must have angered fans of Presley. While it is likely that Giles Martin would be involved in the music as he had been remastering and remixing the original recordings with the MAL software. The music of the Beatles must be presented with great respect in a way that a new generation can be introduced to this great music.

4. A Strong Supporting Cast in the Roles of the Fifth Beatles

A film about the Beatles would need to have people to play certain parts as the story of the Beatles is incomplete without the involvement of those who played major roles in their ascent. Notably the role of the Fifth Beatle as there are several individuals who are all important in what they did for the band. Obviously, the films must include Beatles manager Brian Epstein and Beatles producer George Martin as they were instrumental into their ascent in different parts of the Beatles’ inner circle. Then there are people like longtime assistants in Neil Aspinall and Mal Evans, engineers Norman Smith and Geoff Emerick, publicist Derek Taylor, fan club president Freda Kelly, publisher Dick James, and Billy Preston. It is one thing to play one of the Beatles but for anyone to play these individuals would be a major coup as there is a dream ensemble that can be made for this. My choice for George Martin would be Benedict Cumberbatch and Maisie Williams as Freda Kelly.

5. Humor

If there is anything that the Beatles are known for throughout their career, it is the fact that they never took themselves seriously. They were always providing a sense of fun and joy in what they did. Part of the problem with some bio-pics is that there is not enough humor and everything is taken seriously. The Beatles are known for not taking themselves seriously through the films they made as well as the press conference they did when they first arrived in America. The Beatles story must have moments that can get audiences to laugh along with some jokes every now and then. Even in some of the stories about some of the people they met where there could be a funny moment where the band met Bob Dylan who introduced them to marijuana. There also could be moments in the recording studio as it plays into the sense of fun as there were a lot of those funny moments in The Beatles: Get Back.

I do have one request for the film regarding humor in which there is a moment where Sgt. Pepper is about to release where someone in the band or in their inner circle say, “I hate to be the sod that has to release the record on the same day as this”. It then cuts to people at the record shop getting the album while a young man is there sitting on a chair trying to sell his own debut album. That young bloke is… David Bowie.

6. Maintaining a Sense of Authenticity into the Small Details

One thing about bio-pics that annoy the fuck out of me is inaccuracy. Watching some of these bio-pics about certain artist has me seeing things where I am like “wait a minute, that did not happen.” Other things include the instruments the musicians play where there was a moment in Bohemian Rhapsody where the band is playing the song Another One Bites the Dust and Brian May is playing a Gibson Les Paul and I was like… “I do not remember him playing a Gibson Les Paul” and anyone who knew about Queen knew that May played a few guitar models including his Red Special but never a Gibson Les Paul. It is among these things that these four films must understand, which is why there must be a consultant for these things. Otherwise, you would have fans nitpick over every little detail over what instrument the band played and what model. People do take this shit seriously as it is something these four films must avoid as Mendes is likely to be aware of what he needs to do and what not to do.

Then there is the fact that these films will be set in the 1960s as it is not just in the models of the guitars, bass, drums, and keyboards that was used but also the recording equipment in those times. There are also some famous locations that the Beatles were famous for such as the Cavern Club which is still around although it is unlikely that they could shoot scenes in that film. There are a lot of things that Mendes and his crew need to do to recreate that sense of

7. A Fair and Balanced Portrayal of Yoko Ono and the Spouses/Girlfriends of the Beatles

Once considered to be the villain of the Beatles story in an unfair way, Yoko Ono fortunately has gained apologies from fans over the years of her involvement in John Lennon’s life and being in the Beatles recording sessions because John wanted her there. Ono is a key figure of the story of the Beatles as someone that did play a sense of discord of how the band did things back then, but she was never this disruptive figure when it came to the band making music. Peter Jackson’s documentary The Beatles: Get Back destroyed the myth of Ono breaking up with the Beatles as the band’s break-up was more complicated than just someone’s girlfriend involved. Ono is likely to be a major character in the film the roles of the Pattie Boyd, Maureen Starkey, Linda McCartney, Cynthia Powell, and other women in the lives of the Beatles are likely to be minor, but they must be told with respect as a few of them were in the recording while Maureen Starkey should be known as the #1 fan of the Beatles. Thanks Mo!

8. Not Being Afraid to Show the Flaws of the Individual Members

Bio-pics often skirt around certain things about the individual they are exploring as they often delve into parody like Walk Hard in which Dewey Cox goes to rehab as he needs more blankets, less blankets, and more and less blankets. The Beatles themselves are flawed individuals as I am sure that Mendes has been able to talk to McCartney, Starr, Olivia Harrison, and John Lennon’s estate about the portrayal of themselves. Lennon was known for having an attitude while McCartney was often seen as bossy. While Walk Hard had a scene of Cox and his band meeting the Beatles who are portrayed in the most exaggerated and humorous ways.

That film succeeded in playing into Lennon and McCartney’s ego with Harrison wanting more songs on the album and Starr trying to get his input into the music. It could be told in a humorous way, but it should not skirt the fact that these men are human and had their bad moments. It would at least allow the audience to see these men as just four guys from Liverpool who made it big but also had a hard time with fame and their own responsibilities as men. Plus, they were not those clean-cut boys that were the object of affection for teenyboppers. These were four foul-mouthed assholes from Liverpool but that is why people love them.

9. No Stupid Stunt-Casting on Smaller Roles

Last year saw the release of the Brian Epstein bio-pic Midas Man starring Jacob Lloyd-Fortune as Epstein that also featured the much-reviled late night talk show host Jay Leno as Ed Sullivan. The film has not been seen widely by audiences while it has also received criticism from fans of the Beatles as the idea of Leno as Ed Sullivan is just poor stunt-casting. Since this film is going to be set in the 1960s where it would feature actors playing roles like Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Kinks, and many others, the Beatles met along the way. It would be annoying if there is a certain celebrity in playing a certain part though I do have an idea of having Tom Hanks play the role of Ed Sullivan is something I would not mind. Yet, it should be kept to a minimum as the idea of a popular celebrity in today’s world playing someone like Mick Jagger would be distracting.

10. PLAY IT FUCKING LOUD!

When it comes to the Beatles, the fact that these four films will be released simultaneously as part of a cinematic binge is a way to get people in the movie theaters and just lose themselves. Since the pandemic, it has been slow for people to find a reason to go to the cinema as there has not been a lot of excitement with streaming being the thing where people can watch a film and stay home. Yet, what Mendes is hoping to create is something different as there has not been a major cinematic event in years that can get people to go the movie theaters. More importantly, the fact that these four films will be about one of the greatest acts in popular music has to be more than just a cinematic event.

It must be grand in the way that Barbenheimer was in the summer of 2023 where audiences got to see 2 different films in Barbie and Oppenheimer. Yet, this feels a lot bigger as it must be seen on the biggest screen possible with the loudest sound available. This is not fucking rocket science! This is motherfucking rock n’ roll! A film in which the audience can sing-along to these old songs with people of all ages. From those who saw them back in the 1960s to the kids who were given 1 greatest hits album from the Beatles in 2000. This is a chance for audiences to experience something that few people have experienced as this might be the last thing that Paul and Ringo will offer to the world.

© thevoid99 2025