Danny Boyle ditches Bond for The Beatles with Yesterday film

Danny Boyle is releasing a film about another famous British institution, after ditching Bond for the Beatles.

The Oscar-winning director speaks at length for the first time to ITV News about his acrimonious split from the latest James Bond film, citing creative differences with the producers.

He said: "It would have been very neat to go from Beatles to Bond, that would have been very cute, no, sadly we kind of parted company, we were working on it for quite a while and then we parted companies."

"It's a producers' film really in a way and they just, they just didn't see it the way we saw it and when you have those huge films you have to have harmony, at script stage anyway."

Yesterday imagines a world without the iconic Beatles, where only one man remembers their music.

The Oscar-winning director has had more time working with the Yesterday team, which includes writer Richard Curtis, former EastEnders star Himesh Patel and Ed Sheeran who plays himself - though the loss of Bond for him is a shame.

Patel's character claims the Fab Four's hits are his own in The Beatles-inspired film.

He said: "They cast the net wide and I happened to be the right guy for the role."

"People are changing their perceptions from actors from soaps. It’s dogged us for a while and it’s changing," he added.

Ed Sheeran plays himself in the film Yesterday. Credit: Universal Pictures

When asked about casting Ed in the film Boyle said: "He’s a Suffolk boy! The story of the film is about him!

"His story in a bizarre way.

"He’s sitting at home and hears this new kid sing a Beatles song and helps him giving him support on tour then propels to film.

"Richard is a friend of Ed’s and we asked Chris Martin first! Then we asked Ed and the fact that he was second choice - he never lets us forget it!"

Screenwriter Richard Curtis said his career is based around the values of The Beatles rather than the 50s. Credit: ITV News

Richard Curtis, the popular screenwriter who's responsible for writing classic romantic comedy's including Notting Hill and Love Actually, said his career is based around the values The Beatles have brought.

"It really is hard to imagine a world without The Beatles and maybe in a deeper way than we deal with in the film and that they re-prioritised British culture.

"It was all about respect to older people and doing what you were told, and then the Beatles came along and said what about joy, youth, love all those key issues.

"My whole career is based around their set of orders rather than those of the 50s."