- Paul Mescal and Barry Keoghan have officially been confirmed to play Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr in a new series of biopics about The Beatles
- The announcement was made by director Sam Mendes on March 31
- Harris Dickinson will star as John Lennon, while Joseph Quinn will be George Harrison in the four movies
Paul Mescal continues his streak as one of the most booked and busy stars in Hollywood – as the actor has officially been confirmed for a new series of biopics about The Beatles.
Mescal, 29, will play Paul McCartney in the four movies, which will be released in April 2028.
Making the announcement at CinemaCon, director Sam Mendes also revealed who else would be starring in the much-speculated cast.
Alongside Mescal as McCartney, fellow Irish actor Barry Keoghan will portray drummer Ringo Starr. Harris Dickinson will play John Lennon, while Joseph Quinn completes the lineup as George Harrison.
Beatles movies ‘a chance to understand band more deeply’, says Sam Mendes
With the logline stating, “Each man has his own story, but together they are legendary”, the official title for the movies is The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event – with Mendes promising that the series will be the “first binge-able theatrical experience”.
While it’s still unclear whether that means the movies will be released all at once or one per week over the course of a month, Mendes told theater owners at Sony’s presentation on March 31, “We need big cinematic events to get people out of the house.”
Stating that he didn’t want to make a mini-series and he worried that “the story was too huge to fit into a single movie”, Mendes came up with a plan to tell The Beatles’ story – who he also branded “the greatest band in history” – from the perspective of each of its members.
“It’s a chance to understand them more deeply,” Mendes promised.
The movies will also be the first narrative to be granted music rights to The Beatles’ extensive catalog of hits.
Ridley Scott previously confirmed Paul Mescal’s casting in Beatles movies
Of course, it’s not the first time that news of the star-studded cast has been talked about.
Back in December, Gladiator II director opened up about the casting.
During a conversation with fellow filmmaker Christopher Nolan at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles, Scott said that he plans for his next project to be the thriller feature The Dog Stars.
When Nolan questioned him about Mescal’s role in the movie – as this had already been reported – Scott confirmed that the actor is set to work with him.
But Scott then corrected himself, and explained that Mescal’s schedule with shooting The Beatles movies may prevent the pair from reuniting on the new film.
“Yes,” Scott said in response to the question about whether Mescal would star in The Dog Stars. He then added, “Maybe. Paul is actually stacked up, doing the Beatles next. So I may have to let him go.”
Jacob Elordi has since been cast in the role.
Ringo Starr also commented on Keoghan’s casting in November, and admitted, “I think it’s great. I believe he’s somewhere taking drum lessons – and I hope not too many!”
