Epstein's influence on the Beatles and his complicated personal life continue to provoke controversy. In 2013 author Vivek Tiwary released the graphic novel "The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story". A film of the same name was scheduled for release in 2014, originally to be produced by Bruce Cohen and directed by Peyton Reed. Tiwary said about that project that the film would "be less a music bio and more of an inspirational human-interest story about an outsider". Tiwary and named co-producers Stuart Ford and Simon Cowell originally set the film for release in 2016, but in March 2016 it was announced that the project would be a television series.