Brian Epstein biopic ‘Midas Man’ enlists third director
Midas Man, the forthcoming biopic on the extraordinary and tragic life and death of The Beatles manager Brian Epstein, has now onboarded its third director since production began. It has been reported that Joe Stephenson, the director of Doctor Jekyll fame, has been hired to take over duties from Sara Sugarman.
Sugarman took over directional duties from Jonas Åkerlund, the original candidate, in late 2021 when it was revealed he had encountered creative differences with the production team. Now, Sugarman has cited the same reason as well as scheduling issues in her exit.
“When I was approached to take the helm of Midas Man, I didn’t have to think twice,” Joe Stephenson told Deadline in a new statement. “The last twelve weeks have been an epic journey and I can’t thank my cast and crew enough. The Brian Epstein story has needed to be told for years and I’m honoured to finally bring it to the big screen.”
It has also been reported that Midas Man is in its final stages of production, but as yet, no release date has been detailed.
The movie’s official logline reads: “On Thursday 9th November 1961, a man named Brian descended the stairs to a cellar in Liverpool and changed the world forever.”
The story follows the legendary manager and his vital role in the cultural revolution that ensued in the wake of The Beatles’ meteoric rise to global stardom. Epstein served as the Beatles’ manager from 1962 until his untimely passing from a barbiturate overdose in 1967. He was just 32 years old.
As revealed in November 2021, the cast includes Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as Brian Epstein, Jonah Lees as John Lennon, Blake Richardson as Paul McCartney, Leo Harvey-Elledge as George Harrison and Campbell Wallace as Ringo Starr.
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