Simon Cowell's Syco Entertainment has officially signed on to co-produce the film adaptation of "The Fifth Beatle," the Hollywood Reporter reports.

"The Fifth Beatle," written by Vivek Tiwary and illustrated by Andrew C. Robinson and Kyle Baker, tells the story of Beatles manager Brian Epstein, who guided the band from their early days but died at age 32, and struggled living life as a closeted gay man in the 1960s. The book was released by Dark Horse Comics last month to widespread praise. Tiwary has also penned the script and director Peyton Reed will helm the film.

"I have always been fascinated by Brian Epstein - and his story," Cowell shared. "He played a huge role in The Beatles' incredible success - and, I believe, remains the most talented manager ever. Yet his story has never been fully told."

In a September interview with Comic Book Resources, Tiwary discussed the film adaptation, calling it an "underdog story."

"We're adapting this into a film, and when I talk about that project, I say that it's a music biopic, but it's less 'Ray' or 'Walk The Line' and more 'Billy Elliot' or 'Rocky,'" Tiwary said. "And much like those movies, in that you don't need to be a fan of ballet or boxing to enjoy those stories, you don't need to be a Beatles fan to be inspired by the Brian Epstein story. It's an uplifting story for anyone who ever believed in a dream or dared to dream. That's all of us."

Production is scheduled to begin next year.