The cast of actors set to play The Beatles across four Sam Mendes films has reportedly been set, and includes Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney.
We’ve known for a couple of months that Sam Mendes is set to produce four interconnected films based on The Beatles, perhaps the world’s most famous band in history.
All four films are to be released in the space of a year, with 2027 being the target. In a rather interesting approach, each film will be situated from a different band member’s point of view, meaning we’re getting Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison’s stories. McCartney and Starr have agreed full life story and music rights, and the families of Lennon and Harrison have done the same.
Considering that Mendes has got four films to get working on, we’d imagine he’s keen to get going. As such, casting news has emerged regarding the project, and according to The InSneider, the line-up of the Fab Four is: Harris Dickinson is John Lennon, Paul Mescal is Paul McCartney, Charlie Rowe is George Harrison and Barry Keoghan is Ringo Starr.
It’s unclear where exactly in The Beatles’ lifespan the story will start, but it’s said to cover their eventual breakup in 1970.
While fans will probably look at the casting with some scrutiny, it’s nevertheless an impressive ensemble. Each actor has notched up impressive credentials: Charlie Rowe has recently finished working with Noah Baumbach, while Harris Dickinson featured in the acclaimed 2022 film, Triangle Of Sadness. Mescal was incredible in last year’s All Of Us Strangers and is set to lead Ridley Scott’s upcoming Gladiator sequel. Keoghan was the lead character in last year’s Saltburn, which proved to be one of the buzziest films of the year.
Of course, there’s lots of other casting that will be interesting to discover, but perhaps the biggest question will be which songs make the cut and which don’t. The Beatles have such a deep catalogue of music, Mendes and his collaborators face some tough decisions when considering which tracks to include.
Still, over the span of four films he has a fair amount of running time, doesn’t he? We’ll bring you more on this one as we hear it.
