My thoughts on the four new Beatles Biopics
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Sony Pictures has announced four official biopics about each of the Beatles and directed by Sam Mendes for a 2027 release date.
It's the first time a Beatles film that tells their story has been approved by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and the estates of John Lennon and George Harrison.
In this video I share my hopes and fears for this momentous project.
- Chapters -
0:00 - Intro
1:51 - NordVPN
3:21 - Part 1 - The current state of Beatles Biopics
6:20 - Part 2 - The problem with music biopics
10:35 - Part 3 - Why this might work
17:00 - Part 4 - What I'm worried about
24:31 - Part 5 - My own idea for a Beatles Biopic
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Thank you for calling me handsome in the sponsor lol
We dont hear much from John Lennon these days. No new records or interviews.
Is he retired? whats the story on him. I hear that George Harrisson died!! Is that true or just a rumour???
Could you make a video/share your thoughts on Radiohead? There’s a lot of Radiohead songs inspired by the Beatles and it’s my favorite band
Something like “Bands compared to the Beatles” would be cool too
I immediately thought of you when I heard the news.
YOU CANT AVOID RINGO’S DISCOGRAPHY FOREVER, ELLIOT. PEACE & LOVE 🌸✌️☮️🕊️❤️
I think he’s actually gonna really dig some of the Ringo songs and maybe even some of the albums.
I always thought I’d hate Ringo The 4th because of the disco vibes but it’s such a tight groove.
Peace and love ✌️ peace and love 🥁
🤣
GIVE. US. RINGO.
I am unironically super hyped for the upcoming country album ✌🕊☮♥♥♥
🥦
BABE WAKE UP, ELLIOT’S TALKING ABOUT THE BEATLES AGAIN
Just let him continue to sleep. He can always watch it later.
Exactly how I just yelled to myself, when I saw TH-cam notification!!💃🕺🎉❤
I WAS JUST ABOUT TO COMMENT THIS 😭😭
Babe wake up, it's this tired comment format again 🙄
But he’s only sleeping
Each movie should be in a different genre
John: edgy black-and-white indie drama filmed on a shoestring budget with first-time actors
Paul: glitzy Bohemian Rhapsody-style bio-blockbuster with high production values, an all-star cast and countless factual inaccuracies
George: 3-hour Bollywood musical only vaguely based on his life
Ringo: claymation family comedy, with Sacha Baron Cohen as the Octopus
Thomas the Tank Engine also has to cameo in Ringo’s movie
Omg yes!!!
Yes! Give me a Rankin/Bass, Animagic-style movie about Ringo and his meeting with the octopus that inspired the song Octopus’s Garden, his encounter with the evil Ognir Rrats, and his friendship with George because those two Beatles deserve more justice.
Edit: I think George’s movie should be the most British, Monty Python/Richard Lester-esque comedy ever made with lots of dark comedic elements and gimmicks, John’s movie should just be a collection of pretend found footage and kitschy 2D animation put over his music to look like one of his or Yoko’s old films, and Paul’s movie should be a parody of a stereotypical Oscar-bait biopic where none of the actors even look like their real-life counterparts and there are 12 new subplots every 30 minutes.
instead of bollywood, i think george's should be a wacky monty python-esque movie that also tells nothing about his actual life and is just a complete farce the entire time lol. it's what he would've wanted
Except Bohemian Rhapsody is one of the worst movies ever made.
My movie theater is going to wonder why I'm watching the Ringo movie for the 50th time that day
Why do you think it would be less than 30 minutes
I defy the laws of time and space
Same.
I'd watch it out of pity for it
It's Ringo, he can fit eight days in a week, why not fifty viewings in one day.
I'm gonna buy four projectors and play each movie on the walls of a room so I can watch all of them simultaneously as the fab four intended
just open 4 separate windows with your apple vision pro instead!
much easier and you can watch it while going about your day, just as the fab four intended
They should have the wank circle scene set up to only have their character on the screen so you get a fully immersive experience right in the middle
You literally described exactly why I hate biopics
There's always those scenes
Paul and John have a fight and as John gets up he goes "fuck this I'm going to strawberry fields"
Quick zoom in on Paul "... What did you say?"
AND YOU KNOW NONE OF THAT HAPPENED
Oh my god, yes. That kind of shit made me drop out of Bohemian Rhapsody halfway through.
@@Charon.1 yep yep, I love Queen to bits aswell and that's why I stayed away from it. And the Beatles are the greatest ever so I know I'd be crushed if they did that shit in their movies
That's the ONE scene that bothers me about Walk the Line. It avoids this most of the time, and then there's that bit where June Carter Cash randomly says "And it burns, burns, burns..." when she's depressed after a fight with Johnny. Bloody awful line, and it's the only line like that in the film.
@@TheSmart-CasualGamer That sounds like a joke, but I have no reason to doubt it
Looking forward to the post credits sequence of Paul's movie where Brian Wilson played by Paul Dano listens to Rubber Soul for the first time
Post Credits Scene on Paul's film: Brian Epstein appears in McCartney's home late at night: "I'm here to talk to you about the Sgt. Pepper's Initiative."
okay, that would be bloody hilarious. We need to bring Paul Dano back, make him grow out his hair again (no wigs!!) and sit him down in front of a record player spinning Rubber Soul and record the whole thing, and add it as an uncut post credits scene.
Paul Dano (listening Strawberry Fields): "they did it already... what I wanted to do with Smile. It's the best thing I've ever heard in my life."
And then the screen goes black and says "..... Brian Wilson will return in "Love and Mercy" which is just a straight up marketing to go see that film
Just McCartney yelling FUCK as he hears pet sounds for the first time
I want each movie to start the same way: the Beatles walking out of the Cavern Club together until they hit the end of Mathew Street, and then all four turning in different directions, while the camera tracks just the band member that we’re going to focus on in that particular movie. I’m not Sam Mendes, but I think that would be a fun visual way to show both their cohesion and their individuality without having to state it outright in the dialogue!
After reading Pattie Boyd’s autobiography, all I could think was that THAT was a biopic I’d want to see. Kind of an alternate side of music industry biopics focusing on her relationship to George Harrison and Eric Clapton.
Someone get Margot Robbie/Lucky Chap on the phone!
I'm proclive mostly to country music primarily, but Johnny Paycheck, George Jones, Billy Joe Shaver, and Waylon Jennings would make for some of the best, most interesting, and least "need-to-be" overexaggerated biopics. Mike Judge did a series examining their lives animated with interview.
George Jones, in his older years, would be perfectly played by Jim Carrey, who has a striking resemblance both young and old.
Taylor Swift could make a real good Pattie Boyd. Infact She expressed her wish she would like taylor to play her in a interview.
Similar to _Priscilla?_ (Loved that film, btw.)
@@asmitaxthat’s a really good choice.
This isn't my joke, but I thought it was hilarious, so credit to whoever came up with this.
The George Harrison movie should have a post credits scene.
We see George enter his home and turn the lights on, it's Bob Dylan:
"We'd like to talk to you about the Wilburys Initiative..."
I'd love to see his involvement with Dylan in the film, maybe a small scene, I'd love it
Man I’d love to see Tom petty in a traveling Wilburys movie
Or same situation, but it’s Clapton rather than Dylan:
“I’d like to talk to you about the Layla initiative…
…give me your wife, George.”
@@olliepops1124LOL
My favorite was a tik tok that was a “post credits scene” for the Paul movie
Shadowy Figure: you have done well, Mark David Chapman
Chapman: who are you??
*the shadowy figure reveals himself to be Paul McCartney*
Paul: you can call me…. Macca
i was breathlessly waiting for Beatles Guy to make a video on this ever since the announcement -- and you did not disappoint. i agree with every point.
i think the keys to a good 4-pov film-extravaganza are:
1) do what peter weir did for dead poets society: put the actors in a room for 4 weeks and let them become friends. force them to watch a hard days night on repeat until they get the pure silliness of the beatles' style of humour.
2) do what skins (the british tv show) kind of did: tell 1 story but every "episode" gives a wholly new perspective on the story.
for example, in paul's film, showing georgie's disgruntledness over never getting all of his songs on the albums only in the background, giving hints at it, maybe even showing paulie's annoyance over the arguing over it -- and then explore it fully in george's film, telling why he wants his songs to be on the album, how he's not just annoying/annoyed but genuinely upset over not being listened to. one big story that you NEED all 4 pieces for to fully grasp.
3) have every film tell its own story. on the one hand the way you said it, give it a proper structure that DOESNT follow the typical biopic pattern, but also, pls, for the love of god, give every film ONE theme. ONE. and explore it. i know that people are more than just ONE THEME but usually, when you ask people to recount their life as one story, they tend to pick a theme to narrate it along with (think casanova cheekily telling his whole life through the women he met). it would make these films truly stand-alone pieces, while point 2) would still connect it as one big story.
also i demand humour. there's not a single interview i've seen of the beatles that didn't make me at least smile and grin. these films need. to. have. humour.
edits: just some typos
one minus point is that a coming of age feeling can’t really happen in that idea although we see ofc all four beatles in every movie but as its out of a different perspective then we can’t see how the personal point of view changes
you couldn't be more correct...this is from a person who was 14 in 1963 and bought "Meet the Beatles" in November of that year (it was released in L.A. and "I want to Hold Your Hand" was continuously played on KRLA and KFWB from October on of that year) and can link almost every air-played hit to a specific time in my life...I can tell you where I was and what I was doing for almost every song. You absolutely hit EVERY major point of what has to be done to do this band justice...and because the Beatles were innovative, the film has to be as well. It only makes sense...the perfect comment to this "reacts" video. Thank You.
Also, I hope there’s a cheesy scene where the band is sulking in the parking lot after a show when Pete Best is fired from the band and a young Ringo approaches them and starts playing drums on an improvised drum kit made from buckets and tin cans, and the other band members look at eachother and smile and then say “YOURE IN THE BAND!
Wasn't Pete fired because they specifically wanted Ringo?
Ha! Thank goodness Bryan Singer isn’t directing this!
@@TheJayson8899 Yeah but biopics always dramatize the truth
Hahahahahaahah!!!!
Or that john paul and george show up in a car, see ringo and yell: "hey, get in loser we're gonna be famous!"
The moment they announced Beatles biopic one of my first thoughts was your channel lol
I always thought if The Beatles had to fit into any particular genre, it should be a coming-of-age story. The story of The Beatles is about four boys who changed the world but grew up to become fully realized adults in the process.
0:03 speaking of which where's the Ringo album ranking
Let him put out the country album first damn
@@ChampinessChill!
Someone would have to listen to them first
@@turningmememachine7256 real
I can't believe they're making a Beatles cinematic universe
I don't know why people keep making this a joke, as if there aren't already a bunch of Beatles films from the '60s.
@@TheJayson8899 And Elliott did a video on the Beatles' cinematic universe consisting of these films!
@@TheJayson8899 those were the prequels
I think Sam should take all the time in the world on these films because after years of so many biopics, I truly want these four films to capture the minds of each Beatle. I personally think he’ll do a great job.
I feel the same way. If anyone should do movies about the Beatles, Mendes is the guy, and his movies prove it.
Wouldn’t it be funny, if for Ringos film, they show how he got the part as Mr. conductor
I mean, all he had to do is act naturally.
I'd really like to see them play out scenes in multiple ways significant across the four films, like a Rashomon across different movies. I think that would be fascinating.
For instance, in the George film, the trip to India is a transcendent thing that transforms his life, while in the John film, he's taken with the teachings at first, but he quickly becomes disillusioned with it as he realizes that Maharishi isn't all he's cracked up to be. And in the Ringo film, it's a weekend vacation that's not of particular consequence to him.
Likewise, with the breakup years, in Paul's film, he's desperately trying everything he can do to keep the group together, but in the George film, he's getting fed up with Paul's controlling ways and feels betrayed by Paul going behind the rest of the group's back.
But at the same time, the films and scenes should share commonalities and even dialogue, perhaps reflecting when the group was more unified in spirit, and then fracturing in POV when the group became more independent from each other.
And, of course, have the four Beatles all played by Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Justin Long, and Jason Schwartzman.
And one scene should be the same in all four films. Like maybe something really touching. Or on the contrary something really dark.
12:27 the cut switching to paul was so perfectly timed to the “y’know” i had to rewatch it again
I’ve always had an interest idea to adapt the White Album into a feature film.
It would be an experimental film that would cut back and forth between the band performing the songs in studio and short sequences that either tell the story of a song or emphasize the song with beautiful imagery and aesthetics.
Towards the end of the film, reality and fiction would start to wive into one another, climaxing into a chaotic scene set to Revolution 9, after which the film would end with Ringo in a dark recording studio singing Good Night.
I think about this every time I listen to the White Album.
hey! im not a movie producer or anything like that, but let's do it. your idea sounds so fun to make!
I've always thought the photo at 29:31 is the most telling. Their last photo shoot as a band, taken at Lennon's home. John's eyes are to the left, George and Paul to the right, all three look pissed off to the point of not being able to make eye contact with the photographer and Paul possessing the most defensive posture. Ringo looks at the camera directly with a "help me" look in his eyes. Seems all had accepted their fate that afternoon.
How about the back yard photo where George is looking at the other 3 standing in a line next to him but he is standing at least 3 feet from the rest. He is not smiling as well.
@@hulagirl.kailua is that the back cover of the Hey Jude album? I'll have to take another look.
I hope it's well done and not cheesy like so many music biopics are. And no "modern music" in the soundtrack like the Elvis movie. That was dreadful.
I mean, say what you want about Baz Luhrmann, but inserting “modern music” into movies where it doesn’t necessarily belong is kind of his thing. Look at the pop songs in Moulin Rouge despite that being set in the 1900s and the Kanye and Jay-Z music in his Great Gatsby
I never wanted to see the Elvis movie. The trailers looked ridiculous. There’s plenty of material of the real Elvis around, why would anyone want fake Elvis in a movie?
One of the most satisfying biopics I think is 'The Two of Us' The actors playing John and Paul are spot on for what we are to believe? To add weight to the film is the fact that Michael Lindsay-Hogg directed it. Of course he knew the Beatles well and made Let It Be the film amongst other things he did for them.
For real, it's literally the best depictions of Paul and John and their relationship. Say what you will about MLH, but huge props and kudos to him for that movie. The fact that Paul loved it cements that.
@@rinrinx6174 and there's not one Beatles song on the soundtrack.
Yes it is WONDERFUL
0:30 - Hey, no, it would be...
1. The Beatles.
2. Biopics.
3. That one video about The Legend of Zelda.
#justiceforelliotsnintendovideos
I feel bad that the Zelda video didn’t do as well so he’s felt pigeonholed into the classic-rock stuff but at the same time I haven’t watched it lol
the zelda video is underrated as hell, it actually made me cry in a catharsis sort of way lmao
12:38 A similar project that I can think of off the top of my head, though vastly different, is the Iwo Jima project from Clint Eastwood. In, I believe it was 2006, he released two movies in a span of a couple of months. One showcasing the perspective of American soldiers of the Battle of Iwo Jima (Flags of our Fathers) and one showcasing the perspective of Japanese soldiers (Letters from Iwo Jima).
Nice call, great pair of movies
There's Jean de Florette and Nanon of the Spring (though I think they might be a dyptich story, not simultaneous perspectives). You want obscure, try I Am Curious Blue and I Am Curious Yellow.
I thought for years it would be amazing to see Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze make a simul-sequel to Spotless Mind that was about Clementine's mind erasure rather than Joel's. View their relationship through her memories and delve into her subconscious. Use a whole new set of techniques to see the memories disappear as she rebels against the process (maybe everyone rebels?). They're too old for it now, and Carrey's retired, but I thought it would make for an intriguing experiment.
YESSSSS I am so glad you uploaded this on the main channel rather than keeping it Patreon-exclusive! When these were announced, you were the first person I wanted to hear from, but I was recently laid off so I can’t exactly be slingin’ any amount of dollars at Patreon 😅
I was literally *JUST* thinking "huh, I haven't seen a new Elliot video in a while, I wonder what he's up to". I just went to your page to see what's new and POOF here we go!
That's always a great feeling.
ngl, we NEED that eight days a week scene
I recently saw The motive and the cue, a play directed by Sam Mendes. It was about a very tumultuous rehearsal period of John Guilgud and Richard Burtons Hamlet, the director and the lead. It was based on real recordings of how tense the conflicts arose out of the tension between the two men and also tapped into such an intimate tenderness of who the men were as individuals as well. So Mendes with this has already explored something that would be essential to nail with a beatles biopic. The play also cut to the core of what acting and directing really are and how essential they are for the characters who are dedicated to their respective craft. How personal it is to them and how they fully give themselves truly from the core to their work, and how when that is challenged by each other, how much it shakes them. I really hope with these films that they capture the core essence of what each of these men wanted to give, especially George as All things must pass is my favourite album and continues to help me in my life.
Another fun fact is that Noel Gallagher rocked up as we were cueing and was in attendance the night we saw it which was wild but i suppose unsurprising that he would be interested to see Mendes' latest work.
Oh wow! That sounds incredible! Thanks for bringing this to my attention. (I don't suppose there's a film version, is there?).
The Motive and The Cue rules! I’m hoping the Beatles movies would be like that.
Yes you right, the four docuseries should focus on each individual member perspective on the band and individual career. Have unknown actors portray the members for enactment.
Awhile back, I came up with this interesting idea for a Beatles-related tv series that takes place from Cynthia Lennon’s perspective. I haven’t read her autobiography or much of her other accounts on her and John’s relationship yet, but I think a stretched-out series depicting how Cynthia and John met in art school, her adventures tagging along with John in Hamburg, how they were pressured by their conservative, working-class society to have a shotgun marriage, how Cynthia and her son Julian dealt with Beatlemania, the press, and crazy female fans, Cynthia’s friendships with the other Beatles and the other Beatle girlfriends/wives like Jane Asher and Patti Boyd, and Cynthia’s mental health following John cheating on her with Yoko would be super cool, especially since it would be from a woman’s perspective, a little bit like the recent film Priscilla.
I love Yoko Ono and I think a series/biopic about her time in the Fluxus movement leading up to her meeting John in London could be awesome, but a series about the Beatles from Cynthia Lennon’s perspective as a young female artist, wife, and mother would be very fresh and unique.
I appreciate yoko being artpilled and all that but she's kinda pretentious too
Thank you for emphasizing their chemistry - that attracts me in them as much, if not more than the music. Or to put it in other words, you can feel this chemistry through their music and that makes you incredibly happy - at least that's how it works for me. And I'm absolutely agree this is essential for the Beatles biopics. Like that scene in "Hard Day's Night", when they run out of studio to have fun on a field - you can't plan in, you can't write it down step by step in a script, it's just a torrent of genuine fun, pure joy of improvisation. I don't know, how they gonna play that, but they will have to)).
The most profound aspect of this news is the avid interest still being paid to four young lads from Liverpool. Their music, personalities and influence over a generation in the 1960s are fascinating material in retrospect. As Harrison once said, " The Beatles will exist without us. " A prophetic quote.
Yes! the realization that they DO still exist even without 2 significant members of the band. I never watched TH-cam at all until "Now and Then" came out and I wanted to hear it. That was when I saw all the Reacts to the Beatles from Gen X,Y, and Z, and decided to watch how these "kids" viewed the music of the Beatles. EYE OPENING to say the least, and they were asking MY generation to tell them what it was like to hear it first hand. I have a 17 yo grandson who is really into music...Linkin Park, Grey Daze, Disturb, etc. He will play me a song he likes, and then I will play something from the White Album and say..."hear that, that is where they got the idea, hear that riff, they were the first to use it." Wonderful insight on your part...thank you.
I think it would be cool if the filmmakers took some influence from the 1960s filmmaking style seen in a Hard Days’ Night, with playful new wave editing, and an odd juxtaposition of social realism and absurdism, would give the film that artistic yet anarchic feel that is so of the era. I’d like to see a biopic take bold artistic choices in it’s filmmaking to represent the zeitgeist, especially in this instance where the Beatles are so synonymous with the changing sixties culture. Perhaps the filmmaking style of each movie could change based on the Beatle? That would be an interesting way to show the same event but from a different perspective. As you said, a lot of movies are flat and grey and many biopics feel “paint by numbers” so I want to see a filmmaker shake things up and really experiment within the genre. I’m also so intrigued to see a Ringo Starr film as his side of events aren’t often talked about as people think “he’s just the drummer”.
I love how crazy this idea is and how I have no idea what to expect. I assume they'll all be in production at the same time. Surely each film will share some similar scenes/locaitons, just shot differently from different perspectives. Mendes is a fantastic director. if they get the casting right, I think these could be very worthwhile movies. I hope they put together a soundtrack that combines key tracks from each film, and features some remixes and unreleased outtakes. Maybe we'll finally get Revolution (Take 20) in remixed stereo, or an unheard demo. Allegedly Olivia found a 1966 demo tape at Friar Park years ago, but nothing from that made it to the Revolver box set...A lost George demo would be awesome to feature along with some innovative remixes. Like stripped back versions of their master recordings. Like just George and his acoustic guitar from Here Comes the Sun. There's brilliant fan mix of that already on YT.
I hear there's a guy called William Campbell who does a pretty convincing Paul.
Wonder if the car wreck will be shown
All i want is a scene were the beatles are wondering who the next drummer will be and then ringo enters the room with the opening instrumental to "with little help from my friends" playing
Before this announcement, my idea was to treat Beatlemania as the opening credits (a la the opening to Love & Mercy), then catch up w/ each Beatle at the end of their respective breaks going into Sgt. Pepper. It would then go back & forth between the Sgt. Pepper sessions/launch/success & the '68 India trip, w/ the remainder of the movie then going between post-Brian's death and the White Album. The end victory would be getting Ringo back, and the end of the movie would be the Hey Jude/Revolution promo performance at Twickenham over the credits.
So, I imagine each ends on an upbeat musical note - perhaps Ed Sullivan, Shea Stadium...Hey Jude or A Day In The Life?...them performing The End? Because the Beatles are a happy thing that is musical at its core.
So the movies have to stand alone. I think it would be cool if the movies could be watched in any order and aren't necessarily linear. It would be interesting if they had a Rashomon-like storytelling aspect.
I'm guessing there are going to be certain scenes that end up in all 4 of the movies...just seen from different perspectives. Like, for instance, the "Pete Best forever...Ringo never" night. And Shea Stadium. I can just see Ringo not being able to hear anything but hit his drums based on the movements the other guys are making in front of him. I can see Ringo playing cards during Sgt. Pepper sessions while Paul is in his glory.
Each movie would be colored by their respective Beatle's personality traits. Here are some bad/possibly obvious ideas: I think the Ringo movie might be more amusing or light-hearted...I'm just guessing. Paul's being more colorful and exuberant since he loved being a Beatle so much....with the end being a gut-punch with the others all being against him. I see George's as more of a Terence Malick like "meditation on God and nature and what it all means" kind of movie...looking at John and Paul both as fellas who are "too busy being John and Paul." I think John's would be the wild-card. There's something about him liking so very few of the Beatle songs (as per interviews) that makes it difficult for me to figure him out....perhaps John narrating from the Great Beyond?
I reckon John's film would be an "unreliable narrator" type, given how he and Yoko spent time and effort crafting a particular narrative of their lives both before and after they met.
@@mr_bassman6685 That would be preferable to my "narrating from the Great Beyond" idea. It would be cool if they were four entirely different movies.
Your rubber plant appears very-happy. Kudos to your indoor gardening skills!
I want either the John or Ringo film to have that Simpsons "Scene Missing" joke involving Harry Nilsson. Where one of them is at their house, and Harry shows up and goes "you wanna go out for a bit?" And John or Ringo go "yeah, I could use a drink" and then we get "Scene Missing" and then next shot one of them wakes up, looks at a calendar and goes "Tuesday??!!"
Walk Hard is the best Beatles biopic!
“Quite right Dewey Cox…with meditation there’s no limit to what we can… *looks at camera * IMAGINE!”
I'm skeptical. As much as I want to see a George (my favorite beatle) biopic, I don't think it will be good. I think they will try to make blockbuster films, instead of good films. I liked Nowhere Boy because it was a good film, I didn't even care that it didn't have John's music in it. My dream is that a great film, like the amazing Love & Mercy, would be made about the Beatles. Unfortunately, I don't think it's going to happen.
your idea for films taking place the night they got drunk in Florida or John and George tripping for the first time reminded me of what a friend and i spoke about regarding this, exploring them as people with not only their interpersonal relationships but them as individuals, those things interwoven and then set during a specific event, whether mundane or out there, just that on its own would make a fantastic movie
One thing I could see happening is releasing the four films together and you would buy a ticket to the movies for the full day and watch them all with intermissions between each one, or maybe it could be a two-day thing where you would watch, say, John and Ringo on day 1 and George and Paul on day 2. And there would be scenes that overlap from one film to the other with different perspectives, so it would create a kaleidoscopic effect over the course of the day. I think there are enough Beatle fanatics and cinema fanatics to make this a true cinematic event and a one-of-a-kind film/s. Thanks for posting your video, it was very thought-provoking!
I would like to see a LIMITED mini-series. Not the kind that’s drawn out forever, but the kind where the actors will be aging naturally and they can dedicate appropriate time to the different eras with each season.
I love these Beatles vids, Elliot. I would love to see your take on the boys’ outside-Beatles movies like Lennon is “How I Won the War” and Ringo in “Candy” 😂
Can’t wait for the extended universe Mal Evans / Billy Preston series!
Will they show what Mal and Paul were really up to in Africa?
Your Beatles biopic idea actually reminds of a different Richard Linklater project, the Before Trilogy. Specifically, each film being the same timespan apart and each taking place over a single day. Even your idea to have each film shot differently mirrors each Before film adapting to improving technology. Before Sunrise is my favorite movie ever made and the Beatles are my favorite band, so if you ever had the means to turn your concept into reality, I would be in heaven.
As a project for a screenwriting course I took at uni, I did an outline for a Beatles miniseries which basically followed the structure of Our Friends in the North (if you haven’t seen it, it basically follows a group of friends from 1964-1995 with each episode set in a different year). My idea was to have a 4 part series of 60-90 minute episodes covering the most famous/important periods in the bands history (The early club days, Beatlemania, etc.), covering the years 1962, 1964, 1967, and 1969/1970. It wasn’t much more than a general outline but I still think the idea is good. Aside from what they’re doing with these four movies, I can’t really think of another way to capture the entire Beatles story without running into the problems Elliot mentions with biopics
I'm hoping that the McCartney film would be able to finally premiere to the world "Carnival of Light," since it was a keystone to his avant-garde period alongside the others who weren't too familiar or interested in that moment.
I'm sure this project going ahead is in no small part due to Oppenheimer's success. And that's the exact opposite of a Wikipedia page film. So i have faith in this!
I hope each of these movies are like 2 1/2-3 hours like Oppenheimer
I wonder if a Rashomon-style biopic could work. Tell four different versions of the story of a certain part of the Beatles' saga, as it would have appeared to each member.
I think it would be really cool if they shot the same scene but with different camera angles that they could use for the different biopics. Have them all branch off into separate timelines/perspectives but come back to the most important moments like the Get Back rooftop concert, the Ed Sullivan show, Paul meeting John, the Deca auditions, etc. That way it would be super cinematographically interesting to explore each members’ own experiences with shared events in their life, kinda like what Back to The Future 2 did when going back to the events of the first film.
i'm deeply excited and terrified for this
they should switch to stereo from mono like the wizard of ozz switches to color
awesome edit from A Hard Day's Night footage when you said the biopics were endorsed by Lennon and Harrison (@0:45)
I once heard that Scorsese wanted an Esquire article called "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold" to be the basis of an unmade Frank Sinatra biopic. The premise of the article is an interesting one: unable to get an interview with Ol Blue Eyes himself, the writer Gary Talese builds a profile on Sinatra through interviews with various members of his entourage and various business ventures.
You can have it be like Citizen Kane, where the various individuals that make up the inner circle (families, friends, colleagues, and entourage) of the Fab Four recount the "true story" from their perspective in a non-linear and imaginative mis-en-scene.
Finally dude I was waiting for someone to bring up Midas Man
It seemed like it was just forgotten but at least it's all done filming and whatnot
So hopefully this movie has some potential
Cause FOUR Years in the making??
Anyhow I hope that movie is received well
I'm really looking forward to it.!
These movies might genuinely have the most demanding aspects of film making that might have ever been at play. I mean, just imagine what they HAVE to get right or this will be bad: the casting, the story, the feel. Things that movies rarely get everything right and with this it will be CRUCIAL.
you’re the only person i’ve been waiting to weigh in on this topic
I love your idea of capturing specific moments in their history in their biopics!
One of the thoughts I had for the Sam Mendes films is that they will each cover the same period of time, but from each of their perspectives. So we sometimes see the exact same moment when they're with the other beatles, but maybe the dialogue is slightly different or we're getting a different tone from the scene depending on how each beatle remembers it. I am tentatively excited!
Great ideas for the four biopics, I hope the writers are listening. The Hours and Times had a good approach.
nothing beats a video about the beatles from one superfan to another :-) thank you! i really enjoy your perspective!
It should go through their careers with each biopic a different Beatle and different timeframe:
Ringo: The Germany days, meeting the band (replacing Pete Best). Perfect way to have him be the audience surrogate.
Paul: Beatlemania era, his down to earth nature would make him a great protagonist for this period, a cool, level headed guy to take the audience through the manic chaos of beatlemania.
George: The psychedelic period, when they were expanding their minds, meditating etc, the trip to India, perfect protagonist for that period.
John: the break up, prologue to the band splitting up. Who better to follow during that turmoil. Ends with Johns death
I’m glad you acknowledged my mini tv series idea, like the Crown on Netflix. Even if you didn’t think it was the best method.
I just hope there’s not too much overlap between the four films.
Since my first video on Beatles Biopics I’ve had probably close to one hundred people pitch a Crown-like series for the Beatles. You were one of many!
Lol, and here I was thinking I had this original ground breaking idea. Oh well.
I believe in the official announcement, it was hinted that the four movies will tell one large story with minimal overlap, but I *do* love the idea of each movie showing certain moments from different members perspectives
100% on board with the idea of shooting the biopics on 35mm to 70mm film. One of the main reasons why I love that idea comes from an editing perspective. One of the things I usually hate about of modern film making is colour grading, and with The Beatles, doing any colour grading on how vibrant that era was would be a disservice. I wouldn't say Richard would be a good choice as a writer, but I don't have a better alternative to suggest.
Great Episode Elliot !!!! Love love your info (so thorough) and presentations ! And… I’m with you on your takes on all this ! 🎶🎥🌟 … ( hope I live til ‘27 : )
Maybe the best casting option would be to find a young, British, Beatles tribute band and cast them. That way, they will already have at least some form of chemistry as they've been playing together for a few years, they already have established how to emulate The Beatles mannerisms (at least on stage) and they already know how to play the songs so even if they're miming, they'll know where their fingers should be, they will know how The Beatles held their instruments (as opposed to the recently released Doctor Who trailer which shows The Beatles at Abbey Road holding their guitars James Hetfield style in 1963). If not a Beatles tribute band, then maybe they could just hang around the Liverpool music scene for a while, most of the local singer/songwriters know each other and a lot of The Beatles humour is very much a Liverpool thing. It is really a very strange and wonderful place that every Beatles fan needs to visit at least once...any music fan really should check it out.
I think that either way though, it should be 4 unknowns in the lead roles. If they want some big names in the film, then they can play some of the other key players in The Beatles story. Johnny Depp as Ed Sullivan, Daniel Craig as George Martin, Dev Pattel as Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Kate Beckinsale as Mona Best...that sort of thing, but for The Beatles themselves, I think it needs to be unknowns who look close enough to their respective Beatles and ideally have a history of working together so as they'll have a similar relationship to each other as The Beatles had to each other.
As for how I'd do it, each film would show each Beatles' view of the major aspects of their career but John's would have more of a focus on the early days, Brian, drugs, his relationship with Yoko and the effect of this on the band. Paul's would mostly focus on their rise to fame, studio experimentation, 1967 and the break up. George's would cover the effect of Beatlemania on his nervous system, Rubber Soul-Revolver, India and The White Album. Ringo's would be more about the movies, the time where he couldn't tour due to illness, MBEs and the time he quit the band.
The editing for this video was so fun!
Something i’d love is for the films to simply be funny. The humour of The Beatles and A Hard Days Night/Help is very Airplane-Esque, i’d like that kind of comedy to show up in the films.
Excellent presentation, Elliot. Your energy, conceived, I'm sure out of pure excitement of the imminent biopics being written, cast and produced, is palpable. As an actor, it would be remiss for you to not at least get an audition, but Sam Mendes should also consider your input in an advisory role. Well done.
Never thought I’d see The Beatles taking a selfie
I really enjoyed hearing your biopic ideas. I hope they make these as innovative as what you have proposed. I think we all need to set our expectations above average but not too high. I hope we're all blown away; I envision this could really be groundbreaking if done right. The biggest obstacle will be 21st century perspective on events that happened over 50 years ago. There are so many tropes they will need to avoid falling into as you have said, let's hope their approach is innovative enough to negate this.
I think this would be better as a mini series with each season focusing on each of the fab 4 cuz this sounds like it’s doing too much.
I think you have a point there. TV is currently doing a much better job of storytelling than movies. A Netflix or HBO series could be good. I think the same actors should be used in all the movies, but casting this is going to be so difficult.
@@tonydalton459yeah, the Beatles have such an insane career, both as a band and as solo artists, that even four movies doesn’t seem like enough
Given that the idea is to portray four different subjective points of view of the same story (which is what we're hearing, and what else could it be really?) one problem with spreading it out over four seasons of a Netflix-type series is the question "Who gets to go first?" Because the first version that everybody sees will inevitably control the issues and be seen as the definitive story of which the remaining three become secondary 'versions' - especially for those who never stick the course until the end of series 4! Not sure this can be equitable. But then the same applies to a degree with four separate theatrical releases. Simultaneous worldwide splurge of four major films? Huge project, huge money, huge risk on one throw of the dice; but if you spread them out over months (say) the first one is the big test, the pilot, and unless it's a box-office blockbuster to reassure investors there may never *be* another three films after that... The whole thing is a potential nightmare, but I wish them well!
Love your ideas for the 3 movies Elliot , basing each movie around a build up to these 3 key performances in their career is truly genius! love it , I also love your Chanel and all your great videos they are done with love.. thank you 🙏
I agree about love and mercy but straight outta Compton deserves credit for truly being the last big studio music biopic that didn’t feel sanitized(mostly) and actually fleshed out the characters and didn’t rush to instant stardom so quickly in the narrative.
I really wonder what this will be like. Great director, but the four movies make me worry that it’ll be just a redundant project? Part of me wishes that it was one movie per “time period” for the Beatles like you mentioned towards the middle
I imagine the George movie opening with a scene in 1980s Oxfordshire. A small elementary school boy is being chased by his classmates as they raucously sing the chorus of Yellow Submarine. Out of breath and upset he arrives home, a palatial mansion and confronts his surprised dad with the words "Why didn't you tell me you were in the Beatles?"
not bad but in real life Dhani asked dad about the chords to Hey Buk
Hey Bulldog
I'm excited to see the movies because they're about the Beatles, hopefully we won't be disappointed.
I'd like a Jimmy Nicols (played by Bill Hader) or Billy Preston (played by Chance the Rapper) movie honestly
Using those two as the audiences perspective would really help communicate how bizarre Beatle mania was, and it puts less weight on getting every Beatles detail right.
I actually hope it's four full life stories. I'd love to see Ringo's childhood and Rory and the Hurricanes. And, hell, Thomas the Tank Engine.
Yay❤ New Elliot Roberts video ❤ Love ur take on the potential of the Beatles Biopic would work and ur ideas of making each movie distinctive. I was hesitant at first that there will be a Beatles biopic. The fact it will be multiple movies is interesting with perspective of each Beatle. I wonder if the Beatles biopic movies will go more a Rashomon effect aka different perspectives. Hopefully, each film looks different visually and thematically. Gosh I would love it if the films do like The Holdovers or like ur idea of different film mm. Hopefully the team behind the films watch this video and get inspired 👀❤ Wish Elliot could work on this movie. Sorry for the rant. Thank you so much for ur awesome videos ❤❤❤
Woah this is really coincidental. I was just talking today with my Dad about the lack of a good Beatles biopic films. We touched on how it feels like the film would need complete and utter dedication and care taken into every aspect of it to ensure it produces a loving and accurate depiction of the sheer influence The Beatles have had on culture and society. Like you mentioned in the video, after now hearing about these upcoming films, I too am a little nervous about their production. Overall, I mostly fear the whole project could turn into a missed and irreplaceable opportunity if not executed well. Despite that, I'm looking forward to the possibilities of this project and hope for a brilliant set of films. Another wonderful video, thanks Elliot!
I’m probably late to the party, but congrats on reaching 100k subs Elliot! Truly well deserved.
Very nice micing work in the sponsor segment 👏
25:12 I believe that was referenced in Here Today
25:32 You are totally describing "Two of us" haha. In my opinion, the best movie Beatles-related because of what you are saying! The actor didn't look exactly like Paul and John, but they did an awesome performance and nailed Paul and John essences
Your idea for the biopics is bloody brilliant 😎 especially being shot on film .
I just hope that each film feels tonally different from one another. If they are pushing this idea of each focusing on a different member, they should all feel different, like Ringo's maybe being more comedic.
I can’t wait for these to come out! I feel like I’ve heard John’s back story a thousand times and a little about Paul’s but I know almost nothing about Ringo and George before they joined the band.
I'm picturing Citizen Kane where the different stories sometimes overlap to include more information. Some ideas and order of things:
Ringo - Starts with his switch from Rory and the Hurricans to the Beatles. (Or have Pete Best be the focus for about 15 minutes and then make the sudden shift on perspectives.) Fly on the wall moments for those conversations about him getting chosen to be so much a focus for the movies. Ringo being chosen to confront Paul and Paul gets upset. Interacting with the Monty Phython guys while making Magic Christian. End around the Thomas time or right when they start coming up with the idea of the Anthology.
George - Hamburg days. Indian music. Bangladesh. Traveling Wilburys! Monthy Phython! Anthology and don't explain why John isn't there. Performing with his son.
John - Quarrymen. Meeting Paul and George. Focus more on the relationships with Brian Epstein and Allen Klien to contrast them. Yoko. May Pang and the lost weekend. End the movie when he dies without any focus on the murderer. Have peoples reaction.
Paul - Start at Sgt Pepper. (Have George Martin be more of a presence in this last movie after being a side character for the earlier ones). The breakup when it's Paul against the others. Screaming at Ringo. Wings and solo career. Loss of John and George. Current Day Paul: His reaction to that moment in Get back when George suggests they work on solo projects and then come together again as a band. Spending time with Ringo
The fact that everyone is on board and they have Sam Mendes as director gives me a lot do hope, but you nailed the main concern: casting. All four of them are among the most famous musicians of all time and they all brought something identifiably unique to the table. Nailing each of their personalities and the way they fit with the other three Beatles is going to be the key. A misstep in casting and this will be DOA.
I think it would be interesting if one of the movies could start out interviewing one of the beatles around the time of their death/current and have the movie progress as sort of a buch of flashbacks. ex. if george was interviewed for the early years, john was interviewed for the hight of fame, paul was interviewed during revolver to white album era and ringo was interviewed about the time at the end of the beatles. Like the interviewer could ask each of them a basic question like "why did the beatles break up" or how they ruled the world and each of them gives a different response to start out the movie.
I think they should involve as many of the "Mad Men" team as possible. That's my gold standard for period recreation in a way that feels real, lived in, and subtle. Big, famous events are deftly interwoven in a way that feels organic and real rather than corny and canned.
A "Mad Men" vibe and standard would serve this series well.
I totally agree. These are our feelings.
my only hope is that after line he says Ringo stares at the camera and says "peace and love"
That Key West, FL night you mentioned sounds like it'd make a good stage play, maybe even a one-act.