Brian Epstein, the famed Beatles manager who is often referred to as “the fifth Beatle,” will be the subject of a biopic, Variety reports. Director Jonas Åkerlund has been tapped to helm the upcoming Midas Man.
Åkerlund, who directed the black metal film, Lords of Chaos, has helmed numerous music videos and concert films for a range of artists, including Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, the Rolling Stones, U2, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Taylor Swift and many others. He won Grammys for his work on Paul McCartney’s Live Kisses and Madonna’s The Confessions Tour concert films and Madonna’s “Ray of Light” music video.
“Brian Epstein’s story has everything I’m looking for in a story … it’s all about Brian’s singularity for me,” Åkerlund said in a statement to Variety. “I love that Brian seemed to know every step of the way what no one else knew, he saw things that no one else saw. His vision was astonishing, he created a culture that didn’t exist. The film is more like touring Brian’s mind and what it was like to be him than how one thing led to another chronologically. I want to bring him back to life.”
Epstein became the Fab Four’s manager after they signed a contract with him in 1962. Epstein remained the Beatles’ manager until his death in 1967.
Midas Man will be shot in London, Liverpool and in the U.S. It’s slated for release next year.
