Midas Man
Midas Man is a 2024 British biographical drama film directed by Joe Stephenson, portraying the life of Brian Epstein, the Liverpool-born music manager who discovered the Beatles in 1961 and engineered their ascent from local performers to international icons through innovative promotion and deal-making.[1][2] The film traces Epstein's trajectory from his family background and early ventures in retail to his stewardship of acts including Gerry and the Pacemakers, Cilla Black, and Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, establishing foundational practices in artist management that emphasized merchandising, media exposure, and global touring.[2] Epstein, often called the "Fifth Beatle," navigated personal adversities such as his homosexuality—criminalized in the UK until 1967—and battles with addiction and depression, which contributed to his death by accidental overdose in 1967 at age 32, amid the Beatles' escalating success and internal band tensions that strained his influence.[1] Starring Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as Epstein, alongside Emily Watson as his mother Queenie and Eddie Marsan in a supporting role, the production highlights his visionary risks in an era of rapid cultural transformation, including the British Invasion's impact on global music.[1][2] Released initially at film festivals in 2024 before broader streaming and theatrical distribution in 2025, Midas Man draws on an original screenplay to depict these events, underscoring Epstein's pivotal yet overshadowed contributions to pop history.[1][3]