The Beatles are back under the microscope thanks to Disney+’s popular Get Back documentary on their last days as a band, but a new movie is hoping to dramatize their early days. Midas Man, which focuses on the group’s manager Brian Epstein, has found the four young actors to play the Fab Four and producers released the first photos of the quartet together to Deadlineย last week. The movie will also feature comedian Jay Leno in a small role.
Jonah Lees (The Letter for the King) was cast as John Lennon, while New Hope Club musician Blake Richardson will play Paul McCartney. Leo Harvey Elledge (Creation Stories) and Campbell Wallace were cast as George Harrison and Ringo Starr, respectively. Adam Lawrence (Peaky Blinders) will play the Beatles’ first drummer, Pete Best, while Leno will play Ed Sullivan.
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Although the Beatles are a major part of Midas Man, the movie really centers on Epstein, played by Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (The Queen’s Gambit). Epstein managed the Beatles from 1962 until his shocking death in 1967 at 32. The movie’s original screen story was written by Brigit Grant and the final script was written by Jonathan Wakeman. Emily Watson and Eddie Marsan were cast as Epstein’s parents, while Rosie Day will play singer Cilla Black. Charley Palmer Rothwell will play The Beatles’ producer George Martin.
Midas Man‘s production has not been easy. Jonas Akerlund was first hired as director, but he left and was quickly replaced by Sara Sugarman (Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen). Filming finally started in Liverpool last month but was then put on hold for three weeks. The production will also move to the U.S. in early 2022.
“The actors playing the Beatles are an extraordinary group they ooze that very visceral feeling of the ’60s, are charming, playful, and so authentic and I have no doubt that Jay Leno will capture the essence of Ed Sullivan perfectly,” Sugarman told Deadline. “His own experience as an American television host will bring forward a natural, and accurate portrayal and add an incredible element of modern showbiz to the story.”
The recent news on Midas Man appears to be timed to the release of The Beatles: Get Back, Peter Jackson’s exhaustive documentary series about the making of the Beatles’ final album and movie, Let It Be. Running over eight hours, the three-part series was released over the Thanksgiving weekend and provides an unprecedented look at how the band worked in January 1969 and how the band members began drifting apart. All parts of the series are available to stream on Disney+.
