August 26, 2009–Producer David Permut has acquired “A Life in the Day,” Tony Gittelson's scenario about the life of Brian Epstein, who discovered and managed the Beatles from 1961 to 1967, when he died of a drug overdose at 32.
Permut will produce and Steve Longi and Chris Mangano will co-produce. The popularity of the Beatles is soaring with album reissues due next month as well as the launch of “The Beatles: Rock Band” vidgame. Disney and Robert Zemeckis are negotiating to remake “Yellow Submarine” in 3-D performance capture animation.
Permut will try to secure certain Beatles songs, but the movie is about the formation of the band. Epstein, who sold records from his father's appliance store in Liverpool, heard the Beatles on his lunch break at the Cavern Club and became relentless in his pursuit of a record deal for the quartet. “Everybody turned down the band, even though Brian promised they would become bigger than Elvis, and he finally got George Martin at EMI to change his mind and give them an audition,” said Permut.
Permut just produced “Prayers for Bobby,” with Sigourney Weaver in the lead role, for Lifetime and “Youth in Revolt,” the upcoming Dimension Films comedy that stars Michael Cera, which will premiere at the Deauville and then Toronto Film Fest.
