Sony Pictures has officially revealed the cast for the highly-anticipated four-part biopic on The Beatles, with all parts directed by 17-time BAFTA winner, Sir Sam Mendes. The unveiling happened at Las Vegas’ CinemaCon yesterday, putting months of speculation and rumour on who would play each of the musicians to bed. The four films have been given a release date of April 2028.
The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event, directed by Sam Mendes.
Harris Dickinson (John Lennon)
Paul Mescal (Paul McCartney)
Barry Keoghan (Ringo Starr)
Joseph Quinn (George Harrison)In theatres April 2028. #TheBeatlesFourFilmCinematicEvent pic.twitter.com/mREL0nPcfC
— Sony Pictures (@SonyPictures) April 1, 2025
The ensemble cast was presented on stage by Mendes, with a projection of who would be playing who on a screen behind them. Paul Mescal, who recently starred in Gladiator II, will play Paul McCartney, and Joseph Quinn will play George Harrison, as previously reported earlier this year. Barry Keoghan, who shot to fame in 2023’s Saltburn, and later as the partner of Sabrina Carpenter, will play Ringo Starr, and Harris Dickinson will play John Lennon in what is likely to be his biggest role to date.
These castings won’t come as a surprise to anyone who has taken an interest in the rumours and clues that have come out since the four films were announced in February 2024. DEADLINE reported the lineup back in December, drawing from details and gossip around the four actors. Ridley Scott, Mescal’s director on Gladiator II, accidentally revealed the 29-year old’s involvement in a Q&A, Ringo Starr shared that Keoghan had taken drumming lessons, Dickinson refused to rule out playing Lennon, and Quinn dropped out of Bret Easton Ellis’ Relapse citing scheduling conflicts.
As part of the 2024 announcement, Mendes said he was “excited to challenge the notion of what constitutes a trip to the movies,” and his exciting approach to the challenge has received the blessing of McCartney and Starr, as well as the families of Lennon and Harrison.
The announcement was made at 8pm Las Vegas time, or 4am in the UK, leading some to question whether it was an April Fool’s Day joke. The disbelief surrounds the appearance of the four actors, with critics questioning if they look enough like their real-life counterparts to be convincing. Others noticed the resemblance between the promotional shot of the newly-announced cast, and an image of The Beatles taken at one of their final photoshoots.
First look at ‘THE BEATLES’ cast together.
Liam Gallagher as John Lennon
Paul McCartney (Old) as Paul McCartney
Squeaky as Ringo Starr
Yellow Yoshi as George Harrison pic.twitter.com/7fUA4LIgDR— marybeth (@60minonacid) April 1, 2025
Discussing the ambitious nature of the project, Mendes said: “Frankly, we need big cinematic events to get people out of the house. There had to be a way to tell the epic story for a new generation, and I can assure you there is still plenty left to explore and I think we found a way to do that.” Mendes also used his CinemaCon appearance to elaborate on the release schedule, saying that all four films would be released “in proximity” of each other.
Often cited as the most influential band of all time, any previous biopics on the group have felt half baked. Mendes’ approach will allow room for each Beatle to be explored, both as musicians and people, and the resulting films will be a treat for audiophiles and cinephiles alike.
