Danny Boyle, Lily James and Himesh Patel chatted about their new film Yesterday on the Graham Norton Show, which will air on Friday night. But how much do you know about the upcoming film based around the music of The Beatles? Here's everything you need to know about Richard Curtis' new comedy…
What has Richard Curtis written before Yesterday?
Cinema-goers are in good hands with Richard Curtis! The popular screenwriter is responsible for writing classic rom-com hits including Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral and Love Actually to more recent hits War Horse and About Time. Speaking about his new film, he told Billboard: "I can't claim credit for the initial idea. Still, every bit of its execution is me, plus quite a few notes from Danny [Boyle]."
What is Yesterday about?
The film follows a down-on-his-luck singer Jack Malik who decides to quit pursuing his dream after failing to make it big. He then has a bike crash at the exact same time that there is a worldwide blackout, and when he comes around he is the only person on earth to remember who The Beatles are. As such, he promptly decides to take all of their songs as his own, becoming a worldwide star in the process, with a little help from Ed Sheeran. Speaking about working with the Photograph singer during the film, Himesh said: "I thought it would be so surreal and continue to feel surreal every time I saw him on set, but he is freakishly down to earth and relaxed. He just hung out with us. He did give me some advice about playing to a stadium. He said, when the adrenaline is really going the crowd becomes a blob so play to the blob!"
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Who is in the cast of Yesterday?
Aside from Ed Sheeran, who has tried his hand at acting in Bridget Jones's Baby and Game of Thrones, Himesh was previously best known for his role as Tamwar Massood in EastEnders, and plays the lead role of Jack. Speaking about his film career, he said: "It seems to be going well. I imagine a lot of people on EastEnders thought, 'We'll see him a year's time!'" Mamma Mia 2 star Lily James stars as Jack's love interest, Ellie, while Ghostbusters actress Kate McKinnon plays Jack's terrifying agent, Debra, and Game of Thrones actor Joel Fry plays Jack's eccentric pal, Rocky.
Meanwhile, Danny Boyle directed the film, and opened up about why it was one of the most expensive films he'd ever made. He said: "The Beatles' music was incredibly expensive. It was the second most expensive thing I’ve ever put in a movie… We talked to the remaining Beatles and the widows of the others and they all wrote beautiful letters. And, when I decided to call it Yesterday, I thought I'd better ask Paul McCartney if it was okay to use. He wrote back and said the original title of the song was 'Scrambled Eggs', and perhaps we should call the film that. It would have worked well if it had been a mess!"
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When is Yesterday out?
Fans of the Beatles won't have to wait too long, as the new film will be out in the UK on 28 June 2019.