Recognized for his streak as an Academy Award-winning director, Sam Mendes embarks on an ambitious four-part biopic of the English rock band The Beatles and announced his star-studded cast on March 31 at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas.
Paul Mescal is set to play Paul McCartney, while Joseph Quinn will portray George Harrison, followed by Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr. The Fab Four had long been rumored for these roles, and with this confirmation, side-by-side pictures have been shared by media outlets, further fueling anticipation for the biopic’s release.
As reported by People magazine:
The four-part project will be produced by Sony Pictures and is set for an April 2028 release. Each film in the series will focus on the lives of the band members, highlighting their individual journeys before they rose to fame and faced challenges at the height of their stardom.
Early reviews have noted that this has been recognized as a unique and unprecedented storytelling approach in music biopics. Mendes spoke to audiences at the CinemaCon event and said that the project would be “the first binge-able theatrical experience,” and further shared his aim to give fans a deeper understanding of the band’s becoming of the biggest-selling music act of all time.
Mendes additionally elaborated that his inspiration for the film had dated back for quite some time, stating, “The Beatles changed my understanding of music,” “I’ve been trying to make a movie about them for years.” He specified, “I just felt the story of the band was too huge to fit into a single movie, and that turning it into a TV mini-series just somehow didn’t feel right.”
However, the casting was not well received by some, with fans and critics expressing mixed reactions.
let me just put it side by side for all of u beatles fans and non beatles fans so you all can see how truly horrendous this casting is pic.twitter.com/L7RhSMdT9r
— robbie (@cloudharrisonn) April 1, 2025
say your prayers cast of the beatles biopics https://t.co/Krg0zG4TRb pic.twitter.com/eqJzxHSZ45
— steven christie 💫 (@StevenChristie_) April 1, 2025
and who will be playing the beatles? https://t.co/hRl2njd5CJ
— rachel darby (@rachelsdarling) April 1, 2025
robert pattinson could’ve played all four beatles
— zoë rose bryant (@zoerosebryant) April 1, 2025
guys i figured out this beatles news… april fools pic.twitter.com/YZ1I7PEhYp
— wengel (@wengelll) April 1, 2025
One of the biggest things about the Beatles' essence and success was that they were just four young boys from Liverpool with a massive passion for music, so casting four grown men in their late 20's/early 30's when they weren't even 30 at the end of the Beatles ruins that magic. pic.twitter.com/odP3F8SdrR
— shawnyyyy 🍓 (@oblabeatles) April 1, 2025
they should’ve animated the beatles biopic pic.twitter.com/2mD67xa0ec
— maddy (@mddyluvsbeatlez) April 1, 2025
The Fab Four cast appeared onstage at CinemaCon following the official and live announcement of their new project, and supported the upcoming biopic alongside their director. Ultimately, Mendes optimistically told the audience that he was “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.”
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