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, and going on 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 that 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 biopics of musicians, 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.

Does Sam Mendes need approval from The Beatles to adapt their lives into film?

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 Pter Jackson’s Get Back, a three-part documentary series following the band’s preparation for their final public performance

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.

Sam Mendes may also require 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 makeup 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 Nowhere Boy 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 they could revoke permission for key ingredients to the film, such as the use of their songs.

So, does Sam Mendes have the blessing of Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr?

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, as well as The Beatles song “A Day In The Life”. “We all support the Sam Mendes movie project. Yes, indeed. peace and love,” he continued, followed by emojis.

According to a June 2024 update, as confirmed by Deadline, McCartney and Starr, alongside the estates of George Harrison and John Lennon, have permitted Sam Mendes to use their life story and music in the four films.

This gives Mendes a series advantage in comparison to other Beatles-adjacent biopics, such as the 2024 film Midas Man, an indie film portraying the life, career, and tragic death of the Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein – which did not obtain such rights. Similarly, the recent Doctor Who episode “The Devil’s Chord” features The Beatles recording at Abbey Road Studios in 1963 in a plotline that sees the Fab Four perform fictional songs – partly due to the fact the series couldn’t get the license to their music.

However, there’s still no news confirming whether Starr, McCartney, or widows Ono and Harrison will act as producers on the film. As casting becomes more solid and production begins, this should be made more clear.