What you need to know
Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars have turned into the Fab Four.
In early 2024, Sony Pictures and Neal Street Productions confirmed that director Sam Mendes will direct four separate biopics about the legendary rock band The Beatles, spotlighting each member. The four-part project is scheduled to premiere in April 2028.
The cast for The Beatles – A Four Movie Event was officially announced at CinemaCon in Las Vegas in March 2025. Paul Mescal plays Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson plays John Lennon, Barry Keoghan plays Ringo Starr, and Joseph Quinn plays George Harrison.
“The Beatles changed my understanding of music,” Mendes told the audience at CinemaCon. “I’ve been trying to make a movie about them for years.”
In January 2026, Sony Pictures released the first photos of actors dressed as band members.
Here’s a side-by-side look at the cast of The Beatles – 4 Movie-like Events and the real-life musicians they play.
Paul Mescal (Paul McCartney)
Photo by Chiabella James/Columbia; G. Greenwell and A. McDonald/Daily Mirror/MirrorPix, via Getty
Mescal starred as Paul McCartney, shared main vocal duties with John Lennon, and played piano, drums, and guitar.
McCartney has won 18 Grammy Awards throughout his career, including the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990 as a solo musician and in 2014 as a member of the Beatles.
“It’s going to be a great story to immerse yourself in,” Mescal told Entertainment Tonight in December 2024, before casting news was confirmed in March 2025.
He further added, “It really would be a dream come true.”
The Oscar-nominated actor first made waves in Hulu’s 2020 adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel Normal People. Mescal starred in 2022’s Aftersun and 2024’s Gladiator II.
Harris Dickinson as John Lennon
Photo by Chiabella James/Columbia; Keystone/Getty
Dickinson will play the late Beatles guitarist and co-songwriter Lennon.
John Lennon died on December 8, 1980, at the age of 40, after being shot outside his Manhattan apartment. More than a decade later, in 1994, McCartney inducted him into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist.
Speaking to Variety about the casting rumors in December 2024, Dickinson said, “It would be great if that happened.”
“I think the idea of Sam collaborating and doing something like that would be incredibly exciting,” he added. “Obviously, John Lennon is a very complex role and it takes some formidable strength to play that. That would be cool.”
Dickinson first gained attention in 2017’s “Beach Rats,” followed by roles in 2022’s “Triangle of Sorrow” and the following year’s “Iron Crow.” Most recently, he co-starred with Nicole Kidman in 2024’s “Baby Girl.”
Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr
Chiabella James/Columbia Photo; Mark and Colleen Hayward/Red Ferns
Corgan plays Starr, the drummer for the Beatles.
Starr became a member of the Fab Four in 1962, replacing drummer Pete Best, and continued his solo career after the band disbanded in 1970.
Entertainment Tonight asked Starr in December 2024 what he thought about reports that Corgan was playing him, to which the drummer replied, “That’s great.”
“I think he’s taking drum lessons somewhere,” Starr said. “I hope it’s not too much.”
The Oscar-nominated actor previously starred in 2022’s The Banshees of Inisherin and 2023’s Saltburn.
Joseph Quinn as George Harrison
Chiabella James/Columbia Photo; Christian Rose/Roger Violet via Getty
Quinn plays the role of Harrison, the Beatles’ lead guitarist.
Harrison died of lung cancer on November 29, 2001 at the age of 58. Three years later, his solo career was recognized posthumously by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2014, he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award as a member of the Beatles and the following year as a solo artist.
“The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event” will mark the reunion of Quinn and Mescal, who appeared in 2024’s “Gladiator II.” The actor is also known for his roles in Stranger Things and 2024’s A Quiet Place: Day One.
