John, Paul, George and Ringo are each set to get their very own biopic.

The project marks the first time The Beatles and their company Apple Corps have granted full life story and music rights to a scripted film, according to a statement.

And Mendes is reportedly thrilled to have the blessing of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and the families of the late John Lennon and George Harrison.

"I'm honoured to be telling the story of the greatest rock band of all time," said Mendes in a statement, adding that he was "excited to challenge the notion of what constitutes a trip to the movies".

Mendes is the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind American Beauty, 1917 and James Bond entries Skyfall and Spectre.

Produced, financed and distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Mendes's Neal Street Productions, the four films are set for release in 2027.

Music biopics have become a hugely popular fixture of the box office, with recent features including Baz Luhrmann's Elvis Presley blockbuster Elvis, Bradley Cooper directing and starring in Leonard Bernstein feature Maestro, and the Whitney Houston film I Wanna Dance with Somebody.

Plenty of other musical icons are about to get the silver screen treatment, including Bob Marley, Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson and Bob Dylan.

Ridley Scott is even in talks to helm a film about the rise of the Bee Gees.

The news is already prompting some great responses on social media, with many playfully likening the Beatles tetralogy to the interconnected blockbusters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

A number of posts recall a scene from Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story – the 2007 biopic satire starring John C. Reilly – which lampoons The Beatles' 1968 spiritual trip to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram in Rishikesh, India.

The Beatles on film:

The Fab Four have a storied cinematic history already.

Most recently, they were the subject of Peter Jackson's epic Get Back, chronicling the making of their final album Let It Be. 

There's also been documentaries about the band, including Ron Howard's 2016 film The Beatles: Eight Days A Week, covering the band's touring years, 2013 doco Good Ol' Freda, about the band's secretary and friend Freda Kelly, and Martin Scorsese's 2011 documentary on George Harrison, Living in the Material World.

John Lennon's early life was dramatised in 2009 biopic Nowhere Boy, while 1994's Backbeat fictionalised the group's pre-fame days in Hamburg, through the story of the band's original bassist Stuart Sutcliffe.

The Beatles' music also inspired two jukebox musicals: 1978's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and 2007 Across the Universe.

They also inspired Danny Boyle's 2019 rom-com Yesterday (set in an alternate reality where The Beatles never existed, so a struggling musician takes credit for their songs) and 2001's I Am Sam, whose soundtrack is made entirely of cover versions of their music.

Of course, John, Paul, George and Ringo themselves starred in their own series of movies tied to their albums, beginning with 1964's madcap, groundbreaking A Hard Day's Night, 1965's surreal Help!, 1967's psychedelic Magical Mystery Tour and 1968's animated cult classic Yellow Submarine.

Original Story By | Al Newstead