Benedict Cumberbatch (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, War Horse) is going to star as Brian Epstein in a biopic that tells the story of the manager of The Beatles.
Epstein, who signed the band in 1961 and passed away in 1967 from an accidental drug overdose, is sometimes called “the fifth Beatle”. Todd Graff wrote the screenplay, which has been described as the story of “the man who threw the biggest party of the 1960s but ultimately forgot to invite himself.“
Paul McGuigan (Push, Lucky Number Slevin), who has directed Cumberbatch in the TV series Sherlock, will direct the film. Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, and Simon Halfon are producing.
Cumberbatch is playing Smaug in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which is due out in the UK on December 14th. He will also be appearing in Star Trek Into Darkness with Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, and Twelve Years a Slave alongside Brad Pitt and Michael Fassbender.
Originally published October 31, 2012. Updated April 14, 2018.
