Dear Hollywood, no one wants that biopic

On April 1, 2025, director Sam Mendes announced the casting for his upcoming four-film Beatles biopic series: Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr. My first thought — this must be an April Fool’s joke. To my utter shock, it was not. 

Hollywood has lost its allure in recent years. One could blame the unsettling scandals or the out-of-touch celebrities, but everything started going downhill the second all of the money was funneled into live-action remakes and recycled actors. 

The entertainment industry has always pushed some people more than others, but now it seems a movie is only made if a select few actors want to be in it: Timothée Chalamet, Paul Mescal, Glen Powell or Sydney Sweeney, to name a few. 

The Beatles biopic casting is simply the latest update in a long history of choosing the same people for every movie. Once Hollywood chooses a new leading man or woman, they are suddenly everywhere. 

Timothée Chalamet’s “Wonka,” “Dune: Part Two” and “A Complete Unknown” press tours completely took over the internet. Jacob Elordi’s roles in “Saltburn” and “Priscilla” followed each other one right after the other. Jenna Ortega gained popularity with Netflix’s “Wednesday,” then got cast in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” “Death of a Unicorn” and, soon, “Hurry Up Tomorrow.” Austin Butler made waves with his voice for “Elvis” then became Hollywood’s favorite heartthrob with “Dune: Part Two” and “Masters of the Air.” 

Including all of the same people, all of the time, has made movies boring. Beyond that, though, it has made it practically impossible to break into the industry. Most casting directors are not looking for new faces, they are looking for well-known faces to ensure their movies are successful. If you are not well-known, then you better hope your family is. 

One well-known face disappears, then somehow, that same face reappears a few years later. No, this is no trick of the substance; this is good, old-fashioned nepotism. This family-based favoritism has infiltrated all branches of the entertainment industry, from acting to singing to modeling, allowing celebrities’ children the chance to be in any movie they please, regardless of their talent compared to those who actually worked for it.  

However, the largest problem with movies today lies not only in the casting but in the stories themselves. Every big release these days is an unwanted live-action version of an animated film, a decades-later remake of a classic film or an unnecessary sequel to an original film. 

Let’s not forget about the obsession with biopics — “Elvis,” “A Complete Unknown,” “Oppenheimer,” “King Richard” — are Hollywood’s ideas so limited they must rely on legends to make legendary films again?

In 2024, the top five best-performing movies in the worldwide box office were “Inside Out 2,” “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Moana 2,” “Despicable Me 4” and “Wicked.” The first four are sequels and the fifth is a movie remake of a musical. Despite all five movies being successful, none of them were original. 

There is a serious creative drought in Hollywood — not for a lack of ideas, but for a lack of variety. Constantly hiring the same people for acting, as well as writing, directing and producing has led us to watching the same story over and over again.

Instead of sourcing back to existing material, executives should search for new talent, with new stories. Instead of using artificial intelligence to create sets and storylines, studios should hire some of the thousands of designers and writers looking for work. 

In an age where trends die within days, Hollywood has no chance of surviving by pushing the same, tired celebrities and ripping off old films. If the entertainment industry wants to be entertaining again, then it is time to bring in some fresh people and original stories.

• celebrities
• celebrity culture
• hollywood
• media
• movies
• nepotism