John Lennon Daily

Every time I open up Twitter and see The Beatles are trending, my heart skips a beat. The last time they were trending, the news was phenomenally exciting. This was of course when they released the very last Beatles song, “Now and Then.” However, when I saw the recent trending news, I was filled with more panic than anything.

The Beatles are the next focus in Hollywood’s extensive line of biopics. Actually, they’re the next four in line. Sam Mendes, director of 1917 and Skyfall, is set to direct all four with a release date in the year 2027. There’s not many details at all as of late, but it is known that Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr both gave their permission, as well as the estates of George Harrison and John Lennon.

I can’t help but question how closely involved Paul and Ringo will be in the process, and how much will fall into the realm of creative liberty. Truthfully, I have a bit of disdain when it comes to the mega hit biopic films that have captivated movie goers over the last decade. Films like Bohemian Rhapsody (grossing over $900 million) and Elvis (grossing over $200 million) were absolutely smash hits. Both films were objectively very well done, and you can’t help but have a good time in the theater enjoying the legendary musical catalogs. The same issue always tends to arise though in some facet whenever projects like this are conceived, and that is they are often made with the same cookie-cutter formula to appeal to the general masses. They’re willing to sacrifice soul for profit. These musical biopics are often more concerned with offending friends and family than their duty to tell the whole truth of the real story.

This is exactly why I am so conflicted on this set of films, which really I knew were a long time coming. The Beatles are the biggest band of all time, that’s just a fact. It was only a matter of time before these were made. Thinking optimistically, it is likely these films will reach a whole new generation of Beatles fans. The Beatles have a tremendous history of getting people to the theater, starting with “A Hard Day’s Night” in 1964. Keeping the interest and excitement for The Beatles with future generations is truly one of my biggest passions in life, so this is definitely a positive thing. However, there is already a huge amount of misinformation on the band that continues to circulate, more specifically, about John.

Taking another example from Bohemian Rhapsody, the filmmakers were more concerned with sanitizing Freddie Mercury to the general public, they completely glossed over and simplified his sexuality to the point where it didn’t even really feel like Freddie’s story to those who were previously familiar with his life. Something similar is almost certainly going to happen in the film centered around John. To me, John had the most delicate and brilliant mind. He never fit into any kind of real structure, he was constantly changing and evolving. Accurately capturing his personality, struggles, talent, and overall story is not something that will be easily done. In fact, I’m not confident it’s even possible to do so at all. In addition to this, there is absolutely no way to tell John’s complete truth in a way that will fit the standard mold for biopics that are historically made inaccurate with the one goal of general acceptance and praise. Which makes me wonder, what is even the point of producing such a daunting project if chances are John’s story will be watered down, to say the least. To depict such a life, the filmmaker cannot fear making the audience uncomfortable.

All that being said, I am choosing to put faith in Sam Mendes and the entire team involved that they will say to hell with the widely despised stereotypical biopic recipe and deliver not only one, but four films that will reinvent the standard for similar pieces.

Written By: Emily