A pair of the most talented young actors working today may be teaming up for quite the project. Per Deadline, Nicholas Hoult and Unbroken star Jack O’Connell are circling the lead roles in A Life in the Day, which tells the story of The Beatles manager Brian Epstein, who died of a drug overdose at the age of 32. Hoult would play Epstein, while O’Connell would fill the role of John Lennon, who shared an intense relationship with Epstein that fueled public rumors of a love affair.

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom helmer Justin Chadwick is in talks to direct the film, which has a script by Tony Gittelson. Lennon and Epstein’s friendship was intimate, though Lennon insisted it never went “all the way”, saying, “Well, it was almost a love affair, but not quite. It was never consummated. But it was a pretty intense relationship.”


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Image via TIFF

It’s unclear if the film will feature Hoult and O’Connell as co-leads or if it’s mostly Epstein’s story, but he was a fascinating guy. Referred to as “The Fifth Beatle” by Paul McCartney, Epstein managed all of the band’s business deals—and personal disputes—until his death in 1967, though he struggled with being a closeted homosexual in a very conservative Liverpool and, developed a lethal drug habit.

Hoult is coming off of wrapping X-Men: Apocalypse but has been branching out as of late with films like the dark comedy Kill Your Friends and his next project, a military drama called Sand Castle opposite Henry Cavill and Luke Evans. O’Connell, meanwhile, is apparently fielding a number of offers, with A Life in the Day towards the top of his list.