Jay Leno has been cast as the late Ed Sullivan in the forthcoming Beatles biopic Midas Man, marking the Tonight Show host’s first feature film appearance as a character since the ’90s,  The Beatles appeared on Sullivan’s show three times in February 1964, and several more times over the years. Their first appearance was watched by 73 million viewers at the time.

Midas Man recently shut down production after director Jonas Akerlund ‘took a break” from production. A quote from the production read:  “Until some matters become clearer, we are not able to add any further comment to this statement. In the meantime, we can confirm that filming of Midas Man will continue in London in November before breaking for Christmas. Filming will restart in early January in Los Angeles.” It was since confirmed that Vinyl director Sara Sugarman would be taking over from Akerlund.

Midas Man stars ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ actor Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as Epstein, a record shop manager who is credited with signing the biggest band of all time. Epstein also discovered other popular acts including Cilla Black, Billy J Kramer, Gerry And The Pacemakers, and helped promote acts including Jimi Hendrix.

A release date for Midas Man has not been announced as of press time.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com