Adapted from Words Like That S2 Ep. 8, originally released July 29, 2024.
The Beatles cinematic universe is happening. This news broke back in February (although I'm just now getting to it), and Sam Mendes is directing.
Sam Mendes, a phenomenal director, rose to prominence in 1999 with American Beauty. Although that film isn’t my cup o’ tea, it’s well made, as are a couple of his other movies that I absolutely loved: Skyfall (2012), which is an excellent James Bond outing. and 1917 (2019), an original WWI film that stands as one of the greatest war films I've seen. That film, which is essentially edited to play as one continuous shot, earned a well-deserved Oscar for Best Cinematography.
Clearly, there is exceptional pedigree behind the camera. Even still, this will be quite an ambitious project because it's not just one Beatles movie. It's four. And they’re going to be shot simultaneously. It's going to be the same cast, with each movie focussing on a different member of the Fab Four. So, we're getting a John movie, a Paul movie, a George movie, and a Ringo movie, and they're all going to intersect.
On paper, the project sounds amazing. We have an A-list director. We have the story of the greatest band in history, told in multiple parts, which will allow the necessary room for fleshing out more of the nuances of the band members' lives and careers. And the director and subject matter are no doubt going to attract major talent, including writers and actors, allowing Mendes to assemble an incredible crew. The plan is to release all four of these movies throughout the course of 2027, and as a Beatles fan and a biopic fan, particularly a musician biopic fan, I'm planning to see every one of them in theaters.
However, the project reminds me eerily of what Kevin Costner recently attempted with his Horizon saga, which I covered previously.
Although I personally considered Horizon, Part 1 to be excellent, the film has been a giant flop. And now, the second movie in the series, which was supposed to have been released this month, has been removed from the theatrical release schedule altogether, and the third and fourth films are in limbo.
Granted, although some overlap will no doubt exist between Mendes’s audience and Costner’s (both projects are “prestige,” after all), the Beatles movies will be targeting a giant built-in fanbase. They’re also probably going to be angling for more Oscar buzz. In fact, if the first movie performs well, I predict the studio will end up releasing the series over multiple years (think Lord of the Rings) in order to increase awards presence. But that's just the trick: the first movie must well in order to justify the other three movies ever seeing the light of day, or at least ever being released in theaters.
If Mendes is producing all four at once, it's going to be a bit of a risk. If the first one flops and doesn't get a boost from a streaming release, what does that mean for the other three pictures? They may end up becoming a tax right off for the studio, similar to what we’ve seen in recent years from Warner Bros. (Note: The Beatles project is being released by Sony.)
Regardless, as a fan, I'm excited. I hope these movies are as good as they're shaping up to be on paper, and if they are good, I hope they perform well, because that's going to allow more movies like them to be made.
Now, it's your turn. What do you think? Are you excited for this Beatles Cinematic Universe? Who do you think should play The Beatles? Do you have someone in mind that you think would make a good John, Paul, George and Ringo? Or do you think maybe Mendes should go with unknowns for the main cast? Let us know in the comments.
Cole Powell is an arts and media commentator and award-winning singer/songwriter from Jayess, Mississippi, USA. Powell holds degrees in computer technology and liberal arts and sciences and wants to be a comic book artist when he grows up and learns to draw.