What’s The Story With The Beatles Biopics?
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3 weeks ago
A quartet of actors has reportedly signed on for four films directed by Sam Mendes
We know Sam Mendes is set to make four biopics following each of The Beatles, and four stars have finally been cast in the main roles of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison. Here’s what you need to know.
The Beatles Biopics: Plot, Cast, Release Date Rumours & More
We Have Our Beatles
Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan, Harris Dickinson and Joseph Quinn have been revealed as the lead stars in Sam Mendes’ four Beatles biopics. Their roles are as follows:
- Paul Mescal as Sir Paul McCartney
- Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr
- Harris Dickinson as John Lennon
- Joseph Quinn as George Harrison
These big names have been in the rumour mill for some time, though Wolf Hall star Charlie Rowe was previously pegged to star as Harrison. The news was revealed at CinemaCon on Monday 31 March, when the Oscar-winning director was joined by his four lead stars on stage.
That’s two Irishmen and two Englishmen playing four Scouse stars. Mescal, 29, shot to fame in his native Irish production Normal People, but has proved his accent dexterity in the likes of Aftersun, All of Us Strangers and Gladiator II. Meanwhile fellow Irishman Keoghan, 32, has a Scouse lilt when he lead Emerald Fennel’s much-discussed Saltburn back in 2023.
As for the Englishmen, both Dickinson, 28, and Quinn, 31, hail from London, and have mostly starred in American productions with matching accents. We’re sure accent training time will commence imminently.
There Will Be Four Films
Sam Mendes isn’t making one biopic about The Beatles. Oh no, he’s making four: one for each band member, told from their perspective. Mendes is best known for directing 1917 and Skyfall, and he will direct all four of the films, which will stand alone but intersect to ‘tell the story of the greatest band in history’.
‘Each [film] is told from the particular perspective of just one of the guys,’ Mendes said at the event. ‘They intersect in different ways – sometimes overlapping, sometimes not.
‘They’re four very different human beings,’ he added. ‘Perhaps this is a chance to understand them a little more deeply. But together, all four films will tell the story of the greatest band in history.
‘I just felt the story of the band was too huge to fit into a single movie, and that turning it into a TV mini-series just somehow didn’t feel right,’ Mendes explained.
Previous films depicting the band include Backbeat, Nowhere Boy and I Wanna Hold Your Hand, but this is the first time all four parties – Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and the families of the late John Lennon and George Harrison – have granted the rights to the band’s story, as well as music rights to a scripted film. Sony Pictures Entertainment is handling the financial side and distribution.
The Films Will Be Released ‘In Proximity’ To Each Other
The four Beatles biopics will reportedly be released ‘in proximity’ to each other in April 2028. It’s a delay from the initial prediction of 2027.
Mendes previously said he is ‘honoured to be telling the story of the greatest rock band of all time’ and ‘excited to challenge the notion of what constitutes a trip to the movies.’ Intriguing.
The Release Will Be ‘Innovative And Groundbreaking’
Statements have teased there will be something unique about the way these four films will be released. At CinemaCon, Mendes described the quartet as the ‘first bingeable movie experience,’ adding creating a ‘big cinematic event’ is necessary ‘to get people out of the house’ – away from streaming and into the cinemas.
The first announcement of the project stated: ‘The dating cadence of the films, the details of which will be shared closer to release, will be innovative and groundbreaking.’ We’re not sure what a ‘dating cadence’ is, but perhaps the films will include events which took place on specific dates and be on their anniversaries.
‘Theatrical movie events today must be culturally seismic,’ said Tom Rothman, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group. ‘Sam’s daring, large-scale idea is that and then some. 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. We are deeply grateful to all parties and look forward ourselves to breaking some rules with Sam’s uniquely artistic vision.’
Stay tuned for more.
