Yesterday's Danny Boyle explains how The Beatles paved the way for sci-fi

On the surface, Yesterday may not seem like a genre film, even with its fantastical what-if setting. But Danny Boyle's latest movie could have more in common with science fiction than you may think.

Yesterday tells the story of Jack Malik (Himesh Patel), the only man on Earth who remembers the Beatles. It's definitely not 28 Days Later, but when SYFY WIRE caught up with Boyle, he told us why he believes the Fab Four paved the way for sci-fi and fandom. And it all started with Beatlemania.

"It was so intense, that experience ... that [fans] forced the Beatles into a kind of spotlight, which then the Beatles used to start writing," explained Boyle. "Because unlike a passing pop trend, they became writers, and they wrote those albums. And those albums changed the world, because they set the course for true pop culture, really. Including, in a way, the ... explosion of sci-fi. Because it was all about pleasure and youth. And it was about young people enjoying themselves. Comics slowly came center stage."

According to Boyle, the Beatles represented a cultural shift away from simply following the trends and wishes of the previous generation. The Beatles' music broke from the establishment, and their fans laid a course for future fandoms to emerge.

"They were creating an economy with this pop culture, which meant that it was self-sustaining," said Boyle. "Not just self-sustaining, but the source of growth. If you think about the modern world and its dependency ... pop culture is just going to keep going."

Additionally, Boyle touched on the love story at the heart of Yesterday and other aspects of the film. But you'll have to check out the video for those details!