For the past 14 months, music and film enthusiasts have been eagerly anticipating one question: Who will play The Beatles? This is undoubtedly one of the most ambitious film projects in recent years, and director Sam Mendes has unveiled the cast who will portray the legendary British band in the upcoming four independent biographical films.
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04-03, 2025During a presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Mendes took the stage with the four actors who will be playing the members of The Beatles. Paul Mescal will portray Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson will play John Lennon, Joseph Quinn will embody George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan will take on the role of Ringo Starr.
Reportedly, on stage, each of the four actors recited a line from The Beatles' 1967 song "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" before giving a Beatles-esque bow to the cinema industry representatives in attendance. When the project was announced last year, Mendes hinted that he was "thrilled to challenge the existing notions of cinematic viewing."
Mendes confirmed during this week's presentation that all four films will be released simultaneously, with a theatrical release date set for April 2028, which he called "a theatrical experience that will be the first of its kind, all at once." The principal photography for the films alone is expected to take a full year. Each film will focus on a specific member of the band.
From 1979's "Birth of the Beatles" to 1994's "Backbeat," there have been several attempts to bring the story of The Beatles to the screen over the years. However, the series of films directed by Mendes will be the first project to secure the rights to the band's extensive musical catalog.
