FEATURE:
In My Life
IN THIS PHOTO: (Left to Right): Harris Dickinson, Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan and Joseph Quinn have been cast respectively as John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison in four upcoming biopics about The Beatles, set for release in 2028/PHOTO CREDIT: Sony Pictures Publicity UK
Debate Around the Casting of The Beatles Biopics and Walking a Fine Line
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YOU just knew that there…
IN THIS PHOTO: Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison in 1966/PHOTO CREDIT: Don Paulsen/Getty Images
would be division and debate when the cast was announced for Sam Mendes’ biopics about The Beatles. Each member – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison – has been cast. I guess supporting cast will be announced soon. At the moment, the Fab Four have been cast. The biopics are set for release in 2028. Pitchfork were among those who reporting news of casting that have split people on social media:
“Sam Mendes has officially confirmed the main cast and release date for his Beatles biopics at Sony’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas on March 31, as BBC News reports. All four films—each centering on a different member of the fab four—are set to come out in April 2028, and will star Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr.
While Peter Jackson recently directed the 2021 documentary The Beatles: Get Back, Mendes’ tetralogy will mark the first scripted films to be granted the band’s music and life rights. Last year, Keoghan appeared in the music video for Fontaines D.C.’s “Bug,” and Mescal in a video for his now-ex Phoebe Bridgers. Quinn plays the metalhead Eddie Munson on Stranger Things, which landed him a chance to jam with Metallica in 2022.
It’s uncertain if Mescal will meet with McCartney ahead of shooting, but he’s already got prominent lead acting roles under his belt with Gladiator II, Aftersun, All of Us Strangers, and The Lost Daughter. The same goes for Keoghan, who could reach out to Starr for suggestions on how to capture the drummer, though he’s already portrayed complex characters in Saltburn, The Batman, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and Banshees of Inisherin. As for Dickinson, his starring roles in Babygirl, The Iron Claw, and Triangle of Sadness preface his take on John Lennon.
The Beatles themselves helmed a handful of theatrical films during their run: A Hard Day’s Night, Help!, Magical Mystery Tour, Yellow Submarine, and Let It Be. They recently won Best Rock Performance at the 2025 Grammy Awards for “Now and Then,” a salvaged and digitally restored Lennon demo dating back to the 1970s”.
Some of the biggest arguments have revolved around the cast and whether they look like the band. I must admit that Barry Keoghan does have the look of Ringo Starr and could adopt his voice easily enough. Paul Mescal has a element of Paul McCartney. The casting of Harris Dickinson and Joseph Quinn makes less sense. People were also saying how these are quite big names and it would have been good to have some unknown or rising actors take the parts. I also assume that the cast will have to learn to sing like The Beatles. I am not sure whether Sam Mendes will go down that route or there will be miming. In any case, the casting is not perfect. Think about recent biopics like 2024’s Back to Black (Marisa Abela as Amy Winehouse), 2022’s Elvis (Austin Butler as Elvis Presley), Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (with Naomi Ackie as Whitney Houston) A Complete Unknown (Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan) and the upcoming Deliver Me From Nowhere (Jeremy Allen White will play Bruce Springsteen). I think there has been chat for a long time about Kelly Rowland playing Donna Summer. Most of these actors are established and there are not many that feature unknown actors. Also, many do not see the actor singing the songs. It is about them portraying the artist and embodying them rather than it being about the singing. Also, there is always talk about resemblance. Most of those films I mentioned have actors who look very similar to the subjects. These Beatles biopics seem to have created more conversation than other biopics. Perhaps because of the legacy and stature of The Beatles. I am on the side of those who say that the actors as a whole are not spits of the band. Also, when it comes to casting people like Yoko Ono, Linda Eastman (McCartney) and George Martin, who will they choose? I think the choice of actors for the 2028 biopics are more about the pulling power of the actors. As I say, two of the four look like the Beatles they are playing. Is it the most important thing?
Some of the queries around the Beatles casting was the resemblance. Also, the age of the actors. How they are perhaps a little too old to be playing the band. Also, they are big names, so has that compromised hiring actors who would be more authentic and look like the band? Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr no doubt are thrilled they are being brought to the big screen. They will be around for the premiers in 2028. It would be interesting to hear what they reckon. There have been a few biopics featuring The Beatles. However, this is going to be the most ambitious and high-budget undertaking. It is a fine line between getting the actors right and the script being honest and balanced. So many times the actors look the part and do great but the story is whitewashed, redacted or does not go deep enough. I think that the script for these Sam Mendes films will be great. The music will be sensational. With all that considered, how vital is it that the four members who get their own film look precisely like the original members?! The quality of the actors will show. In terms of the dialogue and movement. They will do a brilliant job inhabiting the role. In music biopics from recent years, the lead actors have been wonderful. The main concern is going to be whether the script stands up and does not disappoint. How the music is going to be handled. What songs will be included and whether the actors learn to play or mime. If the script glosses over certain things and what angle it takes. I am sure the films will be great. Recent music biopics have had mixed reviews. Most of it has revolved around the script and story. However, I do think that a lot of focus is on the actors and whether they look enough like the artists. That might be the biggest issue with the biopics around The Beatles. We shall see how audiences take to the films…
WHEN they arrive in 2028.