The Beatles are getting four separate films that actually sound as if they’ll become a streaming project.

The group has a patchy history in Hollywood other than their own films like “Help!” and “A Hard Days Night.”

Attempts have been made to chronicle their history narratively, like “Nowhere Boy” and “Across the Universe.” Sometimes song placements have worked — “Baby You’re a Rich Man” was perfect in “The Social Network.” But at this moment, the group let their new old song, “Now and Then,” be woven through “Argylle,” a huge flop.

That this new project went to Sony is not a surprise. Sony Pictures aka Columbia Pictures and Sony Music still have a relationship through Sony Japan. They are all part of the same corporation. Sony Music now controls the Beatles music catalog. So I’m sure Sony Pictures had the inside track.

How four movies will be made from this is unclear. Ambitious, but unclear. I think in the end there will be one long movie, or a series for a streamer. It would be funny if it went to Apple Plus since Steve Jobs took the name of the Beatles Apple Records for his company, and ultimately had to pay them for it.

Read the press release below:

Today, Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), Sam Mendes, and Neal Street Productions announced a groundbreaking creative endeavor to tell the story of The Beatles with four distinct theatrical feature films. The project marks the first time Apple Corps Ltd. and The Beatles – Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and the families of John Lennon and George Harrison – have granted full life story and music rights for a scripted film.

As conceived by Mendes, who will direct, the four theatrical feature films – one from each band member’s point-of-view – will intersect to tell the astonishing story of the greatest band in history.

SPE will finance and distribute worldwide with full theatrical windows in 2027. The dating cadence of the films, the details of which will be shared closer to release, will be innovative and groundbreaking. 

Mendes will direct all four films and produce alongside his Neal Street Productions partner Pippa Harris and Neal Street’s Julie Pastor. Jeff Jones will executive produce for Apple Corps Ltd.

“I’m honored to be telling the story of the greatest rock band of all time, and excited to challenge the notion of what constitutes a trip to the movies,” said Sam Mendes.

“We intend this to be a uniquely thrilling, and epic cinematic experience: four films, told from four different perspectives which tell a single story about the most celebrated band of all time,” said Pippa Harris. “To have The Beatles’ and Apple Corps’ blessing to do this is an immense privilege. From our first meeting with Tom Rothman and Elizabeth Gabler, it was clear that they shared both our passion and ambition for this project, and we can’t think of a more perfect home than Sony Pictures.”

“Apple Corps is delighted to collaborate with Sam, Pippa and Julie to explore each Beatle’s unique story and to bring them together in a suitably captivating and innovative way,” said Apple Corps Ltd. CEO Jeff Jones. “Sony Pictures’ enthusiastic support, championing the project’s scope and creative vision from the start, has been invaluable for all of us.” 

“I know I speak for our CEO Tony Vinciquerra, who was instrumental in making this happen, and every Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group colleague around the world when I say: ‘yeah, yeah, yeah!’” said Tom Rothman, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group. “Theatrical movie events today must be culturally seismic. Sam’s daring, large-scale idea is that and then some. Pairing his premiere filmmaking team, with the music and the stories of four young men who changed the world, will rock audiences all over the globe. We are deeply grateful to all parties and look forward ourselves to breaking some rules with Sam’s uniquely artistic vision

You could say Crosby, Stills & Nash lasted seven or eight years max, and finally blew away.

Their self titled debut album came in 1969 and was so stunning that it propelled them through three quarters of a decade. A year later came “Deja Vu,” followed by the live “Four Way Street,” both of which added Neil Young.

Thanks for reading Showbiz911! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

But then Young had his solo albums, Stills had a huge hit with “Love the One You’re With,” followed by his group, Manassas. Crosby and Nash had their first album as a duo,with the masterful “Immigration Man.” By 1974 there was a greatest hits album called “So Far,” with the Joni Mitchell drawn cover, and you kind of felt that was it. The era of CSN was over. Everyone moved on.

I know I did. There was a brief renaissance in 1977 when the group reformed and released a new album. They had a couple of hits with “Just a Song Before I Go” and “Dark Star.” But new wave and punk had replaced them, disco was booming, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen hit their peaks with R&B tinged rock, the era of the singer songwriter was ebbing after a glorious run.

In Boston, WBCN was playing Elvis Costello, the Ramones, the Cars, Blondie, Talking Heads. Crosby Stills & Nash had fulfilled their mission. This was ok: the Beatles really only lasted seven years. No one was meant to go on for decades. The audience grows up.

The group’s members fought like crazy in public for years. It seemed pointless. They fell into the Fleetwood Mac genre of bands as a soap opera, which was silly because they were all way past the age when anyone would be interested. A few years ago the enmity was cinched when Nash left his long marriage for a young girl whom Crosby was said to be interested in. Oy vey.

And then Crosby, who loved the volatile, contentious nature of Twitter, up and died. I ran into Stills at Clive Davis’s pre-Grammy dinner. He was seated with his lover of 50 years ago, the great Judy Collins. He wrote “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” for her. It remains the CSN crowning achievement. I can remember putting it on the turntable in 69, when I was 12. From the first notes, it was wildly exciting, unlike anything else. The harmonies, the percussion, Latin sounds. And seven minutes! Hello! The longest song since “Hey Jude.”

The rest of the album was so good, you just kept playing the songs — “Marrakesh Express,” “Guinevere.” “Helplessly Hoping,” and so forth. “Wooden Ships” had a new life after being on a Jefferson Airplane album (it was co-written by Crosby and Paul Kantner, but now sounded muchmore important.) In that brief moment, these three young guys caught lightning in a bottle. And they really seemed to like each other.

I asked Stills about Crosby’s death. “At least he’s out of pain,” he said. Had he been ill a long time, I wondered? “About 40 years,” he responded.

So that was it for CSN, I said, less as a question and more as an obvious observation. Stills didn’t necessarily agree. “We’ll see. His son sounds just like him. You never know.”

Well, that was interesting. Crosby has an eldest son, James Raymond, who he reconnected with years after James was born and went to live with his mother. Since then, Raymond has had a steady career as a singer and songwriter. He produced David’s most recent album. He wrote on his website after his father’s death:

“I am deeply saddened at the passing of my birth father David Crosby. He was a monumental talent and a complete force of nature. The musical gifts he gave us all will be cherished for generations. I feel very fortunate that we found each other and that he so graciously invited me to experience that rarified air of creativity that surrounded him. I’ll miss him immensely.”

The end may not be here so fast.