‘Midas Man’: First Look at Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as Beatles Manager Brian Epstein, ‘Outlander’s’ Rosie Day to Play Cilla Black
“Midas Man,” the biopic about legendary music manager Brian Epstein, has begun shooting in Liverpool, U.K., giving fans the first look at Jacob Fortune-Lloyd’s transformation into the title role (above left).
The actor, who has starred in “Medici” and “The Queen’s Gambit,” will portray the always dapper Epstein in the StudioPOW and Trevor Beattie Films production alongside Emily Watson (“Everest”) as Epstein’s mother, Eddie Marsan (“Ridley Road”) as his father Harry, Lukas Gage (“Euphoria”) as his lover Tex Ellington and Charley Palmer Rothwell (“Jack Ryan”) who will play The Beatles’ record producer George Martin
More from Variety
The Beatles' 'Let It Be' Deluxe Edition Brightens and Expands the Group's Swan Song: Album Review
The Beatles Unveil Dramatic New Trailer for 'Get Back' Documentary
The film has also cast “Outlander” star Rosie Day as another one of Epstein’s acts, singer Cilla Black. Jonas Åkerlund (“Lords of Chaos”) directs.
The film will shoot across Liverpool, London and the U.S. this fall.
Epstein, who died of an overdose at the age of 32, was responsible for discovering and creating some of Britain’s biggest musical acts in his short career, earning him the nickname the “Prince of Pop.”
“One of the reasons we loved Jacob for this role is that Brian Epstein was the personification of dapper, quintessential charisma, and Jacob felt like the man to bring that to life,” said the film’s producer Kevin Procter in a statement. “The fact that he’s been able to do just that to such electrifying effect in one image shows that we have the right guy.”
Fortune-Lloyd added: “It has been inspiring to learn about Brian’s life and his achievements, and it is an enormous honour to represent him on screen. His style is a key ingredient to my understanding of his character. It reveals his flair, creativity, sensitivity and good taste. And his fastidious elegance was also a kind of armour against a challenging, sometimes dangerous world.”
“Midas Man” is produced by Proctor and Perry Trevers at StudioPOW (“Funny Cow”), Trevor Beattie and Jeremy Chatterton at Trevor Beattie Films (“Moon”) and Richard Holmes (“The Ritual”). Peter Dunne, Nicola Pearcey and Mark Borkowski exec produce alongside Twickenham Studios Chairman and co-owner Sunny Vohra and managing partner Jeremy Rainbird.
Jonathan Wakeham (“Misanthrope”) has written the screenplay based on a screen story by Brigit Grant.
The film, which will be released in 2022, has so far been sold to Signature UK in UK /Ireland, Transmission Films in Australia/NZ, ACME in the Baltics, WW Entertainment in Benelux, Exponenta in CIS, Blitz in Ex-Yugoslavia, Metropolitan in France, Eagle Pictures in Italy, Monolith Films in Poland, NOS Lusomundo in Portugal, Mislabel in Scandinavia, Tripictures in Spain and Ascot Elite in Switzerland with negotiations on further territories.
Best of Variety
The Best Pop Culture Halloween Costumes for 2021: From 'Squid Game' to ' Lil Nas X
Best-Selling Celebrity Memoirs: Billy Porter Joins the Ranks
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
