Midas Man
Midas Man is an upcoming British biographical film about the life of music entrepreneur Brian Epstein. Directed by Sara Sugarman, who replaced Jonas Åkerlund during filming, it is based on a story by Brigit Grant and a screenplay by Jonathan Wakeham. Jacob Fortune-Lloyd stars in the lead role alongside Emily Watson, Eddie Marsan, Omari Douglas, Rosie Day, Lukas Gage, Charley Palmer Rothwell, Bill Milner, Jay Leno, Jonah Lees, Blake Richardson, Leo Harvey Elledge, Campbell Wallace and Adam Lawrence. Premise. The film tracks how Brian Epstein shot to fame at the age of 25 by discovering a series  of artists including The Beatles, Cilla Black and Gerry and the Pacemakers before he died at the age of 32. Production. Development. "Midas Man" is a biographical film about Brian Epstein based on a story by Brigit Grant and screenplay by Jonathan Wakeham. It is a British co-production between StudioPow and Trevor Beattie Films. It is also produced by Er Dong Pictures, who will distribute the film in China. In July 2020, Jonas Åkerlund was announced to direct. In an interview with "The Guardian", Åkerlund said he had been researching Epstein for almost two years. He also said he  had talked with people who knew Epstein, including Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers: "He told me stories that haven't been printed yet and that we'll introduce into our film." In April 2021, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd was cast in the lead role as Brian Epstein. In July, the film's distribution rights in the U.K. and Ireland were sold to Signature Entertainment. In the following months, Emily Watson, Eddie Marsan and Omari Douglas were cast in September, and Rosie Day, Lukas Gage, Charley Palmer Rothwell and Bill Milner were cast in October. Filming. The 12-week shoot  began in Liverpool on 11 October 2021. Principal photography, however, was put on hiatus for three weeks after Åkerlund left the production in November. An issued statement made the claim that filming would continue that same month in London and move to Los Angeles, California, in early January. Sara Sugarman was hired as Åkerlund's replacement weeks later, with no reshoots expected to take place, and filming still scheduled to start again soon after. In late November, Jay Leno, Jonah Lees, Blake Richardson, Leo Harvey Elledge, Campbell Wallace and Adam Lawrence joined the cast and a first-look image was  released featuring several cast members at Abbey Road Studios. Filming, however, did not restart in November because several crew members had left the production, Sugarman was still getting acclimatized and production was close to being paused for Christmas. An issued statement said that after a three month break, filming would begin in the U.S. in late January before returning to the U.K.