CNN —
Sam Mendes is set to direct four separate feature-length biopics chronicling the story of The Beatles through the eyes of each of its members, and the casting of the four musicians has now been confirmed.
Harris Dickinson will play John Lennon, Paul Mescal will be Paul McCartney, Barry Keoghan will portray Ringo Starr and Joseph Quinn will play George Harrison in “The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event,” according to a social media post from Sony Pictures Entertainment on Tuesday.
Dickinson is best known for starring in 2024 movie “Babygirl,” while Mescal was recently the leading man in “Gladiator II.”
Keoghan made a critically acclaimed performance in the 2022 film “The Banshees of Inisherin,” while Quinn has starred in hit series “Stranger Things.”
Oscar-winning director Mendes discussed the project at the CinemaCon industry event in Las Vegas on Monday.
Although one of the best known bands of all time, Mendes said “there is still plenty left to explore” when it comes to The Beatles, Reuters reports.
The director said that Sony executive Tom Rothman had described the project as “the first bingeable theatrical experience,” with plans to release all four films “in proximity” to each other in April 2028, according to Reuters.
“Frankly, we need big cinematic events to get people out of the house,” said Mendes, reports Reuters.
In February 2024, Sony Pictures Entertainment announced that the films would be told from each band member’s point of view and collectively “intersect to tell the astonishing story of the greatest band in history.”
“American Beauty” director Mendes is being granted full access to The Beatles’ life stories and music, according to the release from Sony Pictures Entertainment last year.
One of the most influential bands in history, the genesis of The Beatles dates back to the late 1950s when McCartney and Lennon first came together in the Quarrymen.
With Harrison and Starr on board under the band’s name as we know it today, The Beatles released their first single “Love Me Do” in the early 1960s. By 1964, “Beatlemania” was in full swing when the four Brits travelled to America to make their now-historic appearance on the “Ed Sullivan Show,” and the rest is history.
They released “Let It Be,” their final album as a band in 1970, before going their separate ways to pursue solo careers. In 2023, the “last” Beatles song “Now and Then” was released.
