Do Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr approve of their Beatle biopics?

With the news of four adjoining biopics, one for each member of The Beatles, announced this week, it seems clear that biographical films are fast becoming the new superhero movies in terms of quantity and share of Hollywood’s current offerings.

With Oppenheimer surprising film execs by making just shy of a billion dollars at the box office, as well as becoming the (perhaps more expected) hot favorite to win Best Picture at the 2024 Academy Awards, it’s clear that there’s a market for biopics that audiences are highly receptive to. Robert J. Oppenheimer wasn’t exactly a traditional celebrity before the Christopher Nolan biopic, but its success — and arguably, Barbie’s bigger financial success — has made it clear that there’s money to be made from films based on (somewhat) true stories, especially if the moviegoers have a lifelong familiarity with the subject.

Previous musician biopics, such as 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody, took home four Academy Awards and an $800 million box office, something that was likely helped by Queen’s two remaining original members, Roger Taylor and Brian May, at the helm as consultants, with former manager Jim Beach acting as producer.

Although perhaps not a recipe for critical acclaim (as shown by the movie’s very mixed reviews), the seal of approval from subjects of the biopic — as well as additional funding — helps a project achieve some serious success. If filmmaker Sam Mendes, who is slated to direct all four biopics, can get The Beatles on board, he’ll likely get more than just bragging rights.

Are the living members of The Beatles on board with Sam Mendes’ biopic plans?

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are the two remaining members of The Beatles, as bandmates John Lennon and George Harrison died in 1980 and 2001, respectively. Alongside Lennon and Harrison’s widows, McCartney and Starr have delved into film production quite recently, with Get Back, a three-part documentary series following the band’s preparation for their final public performance, directed by Peter Jackson.

So far, there’s been no word on whether the Beatles biopics will be produced by McCartney and Starr, or Lennon and Harrison’s respective widows, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison. However, producer credits and consultancy have been the case for most recent biopics, including Elton John’s Rocket Man, Bob Marley: One Love, and the 2022 biopic Elvis. All the listed examples offered creative control to either their subject or family members with control of their estate when the subject has been deceased.

What Sam Mendes may also require is the life rights of the four Beatles members. In legal terms, life rights are defined as “the permissions required to use the personal details and characteristics that make up someone’s life, such as their image, name, likeness and experiences.”

While other films portraying the Beatles’ lives have been made previously, such as 2009’s Nowhere Boy, Mendes may require express permission from The Beatles and their estates to use their music and image. Although the film detailed John Lennon’s early years as a musician, The Beatles’ first songs were not featured, with their unique sound and lyrics only alluded to.

A key example of this issue is when Selena Quintanilla’s widower, Chris Pérez, was denied permission to adapt his memoir from Selena’s father, as he owns the rights to Selena’s name, music, and likeness. Mendes’ project seems to have passed enough hurdles to be officially announced and eye a 2027 release date, but unhappy Beatles could mean that they could revoke permission for key ingredients to the film, such as the use of their songs.

Following the news of the biopics on February 20th, Ringo Starr took to Twitter to post an image of his former band, writing “Have you heard the news? Oh boy,” referring to the announcement breaking earlier that day. “We all support the Sam Mendes movie project. Yes, indeed. peace and love,” he continued, followed by emojis.

“We” most likely extends to McCartney, and perhaps also Starr’s memories of Lennon and Harrison, and how he believes they would feel about being portrayed in film. So far, McCartney hasn’t spoken publicly about the biopics, but his non-correction of Ringo’s comment on the matter means he most likely approves. What kind of role the two living Beatles will have regarding the films’ production will likely be revealed when more news comes out regarding the project.

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