While Sony Pictures has neither confirmed nor denied the news, several reports indicate The Beatles biopics to be directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Skyfall, 1917) have cast its Fab Four.
As per NME, the leading men are as follows — though take them with a grain of salt until we receive official word:
- Paul Mescal (Normal People, Aftersun, Gladiator II) as Paul McCartney
- Harris Dickinson (The King’s Man, Triangle of Sadness, The Iron Claw) as John Lennon
- Charlie Rowe (Rocketman) as George Harrison
- Barry Keoghan (Dunkirk, The Banhees of Inisherin, Saltburn) as Ringo Star
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The four intersecting feature films, each focusing on a band member’s perspective, were announced earlier this year. And yes, it’s as ambitious as it sounds.
Attempting what is essentially the Avengers of music biopics (we’ve long maintained the entire genre is essentially comprised of MCU films for boomers), this is a monumental undertaking for a few reasons.
For one, it marks the very first time media giant Apple Corps Ltd and The Beatles/estate of John Lennon and George Harrison themselves have granted full life story and music rights for a scripted film — extremely necessary components if you want to “tell the story of the greatest band in history.”
“Theatrical movie events today must be culturally seismic. Sam’s daring, large-scale idea is that and then some,” said Tom Rothman, Chairman & CEO of Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group.
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“Pairing his premiere filmmaking team, with the music and the stories of four young men who changed the world, will rock audiences all over the globe.”
For another, the plan is to shoot all four flicks concurrently in the UK a la The Lord of The Rings/Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame with the view of premiering within the same year.
Currently, Sam Mendes’ The Beatles biopics are slated for a 2027 release date; Sony Pictures will finance and distribute the films worldwide. We’ll let you know if anything changes between now and then.
