A former suggestion from Queen guitarist Brian May that The Beatles deserve a "Bohemian Rhapsody"-style biopic has riled up fans of the iconic band.
"I feel like they’ve been underrepresented in the world as it is today," May told the UK's Express newspaper last February. "The kids today don’t know the Beatles as much as they ought to. The Beatles should be woven into people’s lives in the way Queen music is these days."
LONDON - 16th JUNE: The Beatles perform 'Rain' and 'Paperback Writer' on BBC TV show 'Top Of The Pops' in London on 16th June 1966. ((Photo by Mark and Colleen Hayward/Redferns))
When a Twitter user resurrected his words online last week, the platform was quick to try and sweep the suggestion under the rug. While "Bohemian Rhapsody" earned Rami Malek an Oscar for his portrayal of the late Freddie Mercury, the film failed to resonate with many fans, with some dismissing it as a superficial and formulaic telling of the iconic frontman and rock band.
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Some Beatles fans said their story has already been told onscreen several times, including when the band made their feature film debut in the 1964 musical comedy "A Hard Day's Night." Others referenced the 2007 film "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story," which featured Jack Black as Paul McCartney, Paul Rudd as John Lennon, Jason Schwartzman as Ringo Starr, and Justin as George Harrison.
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John Lennon played his prized 1958 Rickenbacker 325 when The Beatles first played "The Ed Sullivan Show' on Sunday, February 9, 1964, from CBS's Studio 50 in New York City. (Photo by CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)
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Others argued that 2007's "Across the Universe" starring Jim Sturgess and Evan Rachel Wood as two lovers with the musical backdrop of the Beatles was good enough for them.
"Absolutely not," another user said. "Just watch Nowhere Boy, then Backbeat and then the Touring Years documentary instead. Job done!"
Some fans were a hard no on May's suggestion, arguing that a biopic would only offer a "watered down" or "sanitized" version of their history, while others said they had Beatles fatigue. More said they didn't want another "Oscar bait" film like "Bohemian Rhapsody."
Adam Lambert performs on stage with Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen, during the Rhapsody tour, at The O2 Arena on June 05, 2022, in London, England. (Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images) ((Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images))
"The Beatles have quite literally had the most biopics and mini series out of any band in history they don't need another sanitized retelling of their history," one user wrote.
Some critics dismissed the idea of biopics altogether.
"We don’t need any more music biopics ever actually," Eli Walsh, a public health reporter, replied.
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In his interview with The Express, May praised The Beatles as one of his musical inspirations.
"Absolutely at every stage in their career and their music development, they were models" he said. "And they still are to me, I must say. I love all those albums. To me, they are the greatest. They are the pinnacle of writing, performance and ethos of rock music. They broke down so many barriers, they changed the world many times. I will always love the Beatles without any reservation."
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