Beatles fans are going to love Midas Man, because it's a film that tells the story of the music mogul Brian Epstein who turned Liverpool lads John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr into a worldwide phenomenon. Set in the 1960s and starring a top cast, including Emily Watson, Eddie Marsan, Outlander’s Rosie Day and Jay Leno as Ed Sullivan, Midas Man charts Epstein’s role in the creative explosion of the 1960s and his huge influence on pop music through managing the likes of the Beatles and Cilla Black.
Here’s everything you need to know about Prime Video's star-studded biopic Midas Man…
Midas Man release date
Midas Man launched on Prime Video from Wednesday October 30 2024.
Midas Man cast — Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as Brian Epstein
In Midas Man, British actor Jacob Fortune-Lloyd has been transformed into the dapper style that encapsulated Brian Epstein during his life.
Jacob told us: "I must admit I didn’t know much about Epstein when I auditioned for the part. But I read some of his diary entries, which are very painful, and I also met Freda Kelly, who was his secretary and who ran the Beatles fan club magazine, so I feel I got pretty close to the man himself. His sense of style was a key ingredient to my understanding of him. Clothes were like armour for him. He needed to feel impregnable.
"Brian was complex, and what he was having to hide in his daily life meant he was really conflicted. He was also an introverted man thrust onto a very public stage. Brian pushed himself incredibly hard, but that meant taking pills to get up in the morning and pills to sleep at night. He put his body under huge strain."
"‘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," says film’s producer Kevin Procter. ‘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.’
Jacob has previously played Francesco Salviati in the 2018 historical drama Medici and appeared as Townes in hit Netflix drama series The Queen’s Gambit in 2020. He’s also starred in British dramas Endeavour, Midsomer Murders and Wolf Hall.
"‘It has been inspiring to learn about Brian’s life and his achievements, and it is an enormous honour to represent him on screen," says Jacob. "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 cast — who else is starring as the Beatles, Cilla Black and others from the 1960s
The Midas Man cast reads like a who’s who of British talent. Emily Watson stars as Brian Epstein’s mother Malka, while Eddie Marsan (Ridley Road) plays his father, Harry, and Omari Douglas, who recently found fame in It’s A Sin, is playing Epstein’s friend Lonnie Trimble.
Meanwhile, Darci Shaw plays singer Cilla Black having replaced Outlander star Rosie Day, while Charley Palmer Rothwell (Jack Ryan) is record producer George Martin who works with the Beatles on their songs at Abbey Road Studios. Ed Speelers plays Brian Epstein’s lover Tex Ellington, having replaced Lukas Gage (Dead Boy Detectives) in the role. Jay Leno guest stars as Ed Sullivan, who hosted the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.
As for the cast playing the Fab Four, John Lennon will be played by Jonah Lees (The Letter for the King), Paul McCartney by Blake Richardson (Eleven Days), George Harrison by Leo Harvey Elledge (Creation Stories) and Ringo Starr by newcomer Campbell Wallace. Peaky Blinders star Adam Lawrence will play Pete Best, the drummer fired from the Beatles by Brian Epstein in 1962 before they found worldwide fame.
"The actors playing the Beatles are an extraordinary group they ooze that very visceral feeling of the 1960s," says director Sara Sugarman. "They’re charming, playful, and so authentic and I have no doubt that Jay Leno will capture the essence of Ed Sullivan perfectly. His own experience as an American television host will bring forward a natural, and accurate portrayal and add an incredible element of modern showbiz to the story."
The Midas Man story even has royalty showing up, with Lauren Harris playing Princess Margaret while Eddie 'Suzie' Izzard plays Alan Williams and The Durrells star Milo Parker is Alistair Taylor.
As well as Epstein’s protective relationship with the Fab Four, the film also touches on his friendship with Cilla Black (Darci Shaw), while Fortune- Lloyd says some of his favourite scenes are those with Eddie Marsan and Emily Watson, who play Epstein’s parents Harry and Queenie.
"I was a bit intimidated by Emily at first because she’s so brilliant and has the most penetrating eyes. But she also has a big heart and was very encouraging," says Jacob. "But those scenes really help you understand who Brian was. He came from a buttoned-up middle-class background and had to contain himself and play the responsible adult, even though he was only a few years older than the Beatles. I just hope the film makes people love Brian because he was a very lovable person."
Midas Man plot
Midas Man will take audiences back to the Swinging Sixties, starting with the Mersey Beat sound early in the decade when Brian Epstein discovered the Beatles performing in Liverpool's Cavern Club, where a young Cilla Black (then Priscilla White) worked in the cloakroom but also sang alongside the Beatles. The movie will then show how Brian made the Beatles the worldwide pop phenomenon they became in the 1960s, having huge hits in the US and famous tours, plus appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show. There were also controversies along the way, as the Fab Four caused upset among the more conservative elements in American society back then. All the time Brian's demons were bubbling under the surface, leading to his early death from a drugs overdose in 1967.
Is there a Midas Man trailer?
Yes there's a Midas Man trailer you can watch below. And there's also an interview with Midas Man Brian Epstein for The Tonight Show in 1964 so you can see what the man was actually like.
Midas Man — who was Brian Epstein?
Brian Epstein, who died of a drug overdose at 32, was responsible for discovering and creating some of Britain’s biggest musical acts of the 1960s, earning him the nickname the Prince of Pop. He managed the Beatles from 1962 until his death in 1967 and was referred to as the Fifth Beatle thanks to his role in the group's image and rise to global fame. He even insisted that they abandon their scruffy image in favour of a new clean-cut style, with identical suits and haircuts. He then persuaded George Martin of EMI group to produce their records… and the rest is history! As well as the Beatles, Epstein also discovered other musical talent, including Gerry and the Pacemakers and Cilla Black.
Behind the scenes and more on Midas Man
The original Midas Man screenplay is based on a story by Brigit Grant and written by Jonathan Wakeham. Meanwhile, production of the film moved from Liverpool to Los Angeles in early 2022 where filming is expected to last until early February, so hopefully we don’t have too long to wait before the movie lands after that in 2023.
According to producer Trevor Beattie, “To say this has been a labour of love would be an understatement. But Brian himself never stopped believing, that was his superpower. And I would never give up on him. Brian spent his short life selflessly turning those he managed into global superstars. Now it’s his turn. Brian Epstein will finally be up where he belongs: a star of the silver screen. And I’d like to think he’d be proud and wowed by Jacob’s astonishing portrayal.”
The costume department created replicas of Epstein’s famous mohair suits and silk ties, while the set designs are also meticulous, including a faithful copy of the original Cavern Club built on a Merseyside industrial estate.
"A lot of care was taken in making sure everything was as accurate as possible. I didn’t want that Austin Powers version of the 60s," says director Joe Stephenson, 34. "With the Cavern Club we also wanted the audience to feel like they were stepping into that space just as it was at the time. A few people who’d been to the original Cavern Club said everything was exactly as it should be, except for the smell!"
