The Fifth Beatle, a biopic of the band's manager Brian Epstein is set to begin shooting next year, according to Rolling Stone. The film is based on Vivek J. Tiwary's graphic novel The Fifth Beatle, which was released last year.
According to the article the film has been rumored to be in production since 2006. Peyton Reed (Yes Man, The Break Up, Bring It On) will be directing the film. A press release claims that the film is the first ever about the Beatles to secure music rights to the Lennon-McCartney catalog. Casting for Epstein's role will being soon.
Epstein discovered the Beatles during a 1961 show at Cavern Club in Liverpool. He signed as the band's manager within two months. According to the article, he is credited with cleaning up their look and getting them a record deal. He also worked with British Invasion artists including The Who, Cream and was responsible for bringing Jimi Hendrix to the U.K. Epstein died in 1967 at age 32 of an accidental sleeping pill overdose (though some fans speculate it was suicide).
"Telling his story is a very passionate labor of love for me," Tiwary told Rolling Stone last year when his graphic novel came out. "I wanted to work in artist management, I wanted to manage bands. I thought, 'If I'm going to manage bands, I should study the great artist managers.'"
As for the films director's connection with the story Reed said in a statement, "From the moment I read Vivek's graphic novel, I knew I wanted to be the person to bring Brian's story to the big screen. I'm a lifelong Beatles fan, obviously, but it's Brian's fascinating life that really blew me away and drew me to this project. He's the ultimate outsider who, against all odds, became the ultimate insider."
You can order the graphic novel version of Epsteins story here. Let us know what you think in the comments section below!
