Danny Boyle’s Beatles Movie ‘Yesterday’ Selected as Tribeca Closing Night Film
By Dave McNary
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – The world premiere of Danny Boyle’s rock comedy “Yesterday” has been selected as the closing night film for the Tribeca Film Festival on May 4.
The festival, which opens April 24 with “The Apollo,” also announced Thursday that it will hold a pair of Gala Anniversary screenings with a 40th anniversary showing of a never-before-seen restored version of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now,” and the 30th anniversary and cast reunion of “Say Anything…”
Tribeca also announced that it will host the world premiere of “Between Me and My Mind” about Phish lead singer Trey Anastasio, followed by performance by the Trey Anastasio Band at the Beacon Theatre, as well as Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival opener “The Good, The Bad, The Hungry.”
The festival, now in its 18th year, said Thursday that the previously announced 25th anniversary of “Reality Bites” will feature appearances by director Ben Stiller, writer HelenChildress, with cast including Ethan Hawke, Winona Ryder, Janeane Garofalo, and Steve Zahn. Tribeca will also hold a free showing of 1977’s “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.”
Universal is opening “Yesterday” on June 28. The film, scripted by Richard Curtis, stars Himesh Patel (BBC’s “Eastenders”) as a struggling singer-songwriter in a tiny English seaside town whose dreams of fame are rapidly fading, despite the support of his childhood best friend, played by Lily James. After a freak accident during a mysterious global blackout, he wakes up to discover that The Beatles have never existed. Kate McKinnon and Ed Sheeran also star.
“This isn’t a time travel movie but it feels like introducing the Beatles music to America for the first time-again,” said Boyle. “Absolutely delighted that our film has been chosen to be the closing film of the . A great honor in a great city.”
“Apocalypse Now: Final Cut” will be shown at the Beacon Theatre. It has been remastered in 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos from a 4K scan of the original negative.
“Restoring “Apocalypse Now: Final Cut’ 40 years later has been a tremendous undertaking and joy that I am thrilled to be able to share with the world for the first time at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival,” Coppola said. “The audience will be able to see, hear and feel this film how I always hoped it could be — from the first ‘bang’ to the final whimper.”
Director Cameron Crowe, executive producer James L. Brooks and the “Say Anything…” cast will attend the screening of the film.
“The movie grew out of many inspiring conversations with James L. Brooks, and a quest to bring a new kind of romantic couple to the screen,” Crowe said. “Out of those many afternoons came the script, the opportunity to direct my own screenplay, and the great adventure of working with these wonderful actors, among them John Mahoney, Lili Taylor, Joan and John Cusack, and Ione Skye. And, of course, Eric Stoltz as The Rooster.”
