The Beatles biopic cast is confirmed as stars assemble on stage for first time ahead of director Sam Mendes' epic four film project
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The cast for Sam Mendes' upcoming Beatles biopics have been announced, with four huge names set to take on the roles of the Fab Four.
At CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas on Monday, Sony confirmed the cast for the four Beatles projects following a sea of speculation, with all four films set to be released in April 2028.
Gladiator II hunk Paul Mescal will play Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson will play John Lennon, Barry Keoghan will star as Ringo Starr and Joseph Quinn will play George Harrison in the films about The Fab Four.
Mendes, 59, appeared at the Caesar's Palace event, revealing that all four films — called The Beatles: A Four-Film Cinematic Event — will come out in the same month, as he introduced his four leading stars to the stage.
Each of the movies will focus on one of the members of the band. According to the director, Sony's film boss Tom Rothman dubbed the films 'the first binge-able theatrical experience.'
'We're not just making one film about the Beatles — we're making four,' Mendes announced. 'Perhaps this is a chance to understand them a little more deeply.'
'The Beatles changed my understanding of music,' Mendes added. 'I've been trying to make a movie about them for years.'
'I'm honored 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,' the filmmaker shared back in 2024, as per People.
Speaking at Cinemacon, Sam said that he felt the story of The Beatles were 'too big for one film,' and he didn't want to turn it into a television series.
Sam went onto share that the four films will be released 'in proximity' with each other.
'Frankly, we need big cinematic events to get people out of the house,' the Skyfall frontman added.
'There had to be a way to tell the epic story for a new generation,' he told the audience, adding: 'I can assure you there is still plenty left to explore and I think we found a way to do that.'
While onstage, the actors recited lyrics from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and concluded with a coordinated bow reminiscent of the Beatles.
It marks the first time ever that The Beatles and their Apple Corps. company have granted full life story and music rights for a scripted film.
The movies are being made by Sony Pictures and Sam's Neal Street Productions company.
Mendes explained that he pitched the idea of making four films about the 'Hey Jude' group last year and wowed Sony executives Rothman and Elizabeth Gabler with his plans.
The Skyfall filmmaker told Deadline earlier this year: 'We went out to Los Angeles just before Christmas to pitch the project, and it's fair to say we were met with universal enthusiasm.'
'The reason Sony stood out from competing offers was down to Tom and Elizabeth's passion for the idea, and commitment to propelling these films theatrically in an innovative and exciting way.'
Sam previously won the Academy Award for Best Director for his work on 1999's American Beauty, and also received praise for his Bond film Skyfall in 2012, and war epic 1917 five years later.
Barry has risen to huge stardom in the last few years with roles in Saltburn and The Banshees of Inisherin.
Paul soared to fame in BBC series Normal People and has gone on to be a household name, landing the leading role in Ridley Scott's Gladiator II last year.
Dickinson charmed audiences with his role as Nicole Kidman's young lover in Babygirl.
Meanwhile Quinn catapulted into fame following his role as Eddie Munson in the fourth season of Stranger Things.
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960, comprising Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr.
They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the development of 1960s counterculture and the recognition of popular music as an art form.
The Beatles' last commercial gig took place at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California.
They then performed live for the last time on the roof of their Apple Corps headquarters in London on January 30, 1969, before John decided to leave the band.
John was shot dead at the age of 40 in 1980, by crazed fan Mark Chapman outside his home in New York City, while George died in 2001 after a battle with cancer.
Since the band's inception, there have been a total of 18 Beatles biopics on the big and small screen, including 1994's Backbeat, which focused on guitarist Stuart Sutcliffe, and 2009’s Nowhere Boy, about Lennon’s childhood.
In 2021, Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson launched the eight-hour, three-part Disney+ series Beatles Get Back.
Jackson, who served as director and producer, was given 60 hours of film footage and 150 hours of audio stemming from the original Let It Be film, which chronicled the making of the album of the same name that was released in May 1970
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