Meet the Beatles (again): See the biopicsā cast side-by-side with the real people they play
Paul Mescal, Harris Dickinson, Joseph Quinn, and Barry Keoghan will bring the legendary band to life on screen.
Meet the Beatles (again): See the biopicsā cast side-by-side with the real people they play
Paul Mescal, Harris Dickinson, Joseph Quinn, and Barry Keoghan will bring the legendary band to life on screen.
By Allison DeGrushe
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Allison DeGrushe
Allison DeGrushe is a timely SEO writer at **. She has been working at * *since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Distractify.
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November 1, 2025 11:00 a.m. ET
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Paul Mescal; Paul and Linda McCartney; Saoirse Ronan. Credit:
Lionel Hahn/Getty; Michael Putland/Getty; John Phillips/BAFTA/Getty
- Sam Mendes is bringing the Beatles back to the big screen with a four-part film series.
- Harris Dickinson, Barry Keoghan, Paul Mescal, and Joseph Quinn will portray the legendary bandmates.
- Anna Sawai, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Saoirse Ronan, and Aimee Lou Wood round out the cast as the musicians' wives.
In early 2024, Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes announced that he was teaming up with Sony Pictures to make not one, but *four *biopics about the Beatles. The ambitious project, dubbed *The Beatles ā A Four-Film Cinematic Event*, is slated to hit theaters in April 2028.
"I'm 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," Mendes said in a statement.
The initial cast was unveiled at CinemaCon 2025: Paul Mescal will star as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson will take on the role of John Lennon, Barry Keoghan will play Ringo Starr, and Joseph Quinn will portray George Harrison.
On Oct. 31, Sony officially announced that Saoirse Ronan, Anna Sawai, Mia McKenna-Bruce, and Aimee Lou Wood are joining the cast as Linda McCartney, Yoko Ono, Maureen Starkey, and Pattie Boyd, respectively.
Read on for a side-by-side look at the stars* *and the real-life figures they'll bring to the big screen.
Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney
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Paul Mescal; Paul McCartney.
Oscar-nominated actor Paul Mescal is stepping into the shoes of Paul McCartney, the musical genius who wrote timeless hits like "Hey Jude" and "Yesterday." Throughout his decades-long career, McCartney has earned numerous accolades and remains one of the best-selling artists of all time.
Ridley Scott says Paul Mescal will star in Beatles biopics
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Joseph Quinn calls Barry Keoghan live on air mid-Beatles movie screen test
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Mescal first stole hearts on Hulu's romantic drama miniseries *Normal People* (2020) and has since become a full-blown movie star. You might've seen him in *Aftersun *(2022), *All of Us Strangers* (2023), and *Gladiator II* (2024). He also leads the upcoming film *Hamnet *(2025).
In a recent interview with *IndieWire*, Mescal revealed that he's linked up with McCartney. "He's an extraordinary man, like to spend any time ā it's a crazy sentence to say that I've spent time with that man, let alone play him," he said of the musician.
Harris Dickinson as John Lennon
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Harris Dickinson; John Lennon.
Cyrus Andrews/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty; Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty
Harris Dickinson will star as John Lennon, the late musician who was shot and killed outside his apartment on Dec. 8, 1980. He left an incredible musical legacy in his wake. McCartney inducted him into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 1994, and the 2009 biopic *Nowhere Boy* explored his early life.
Dickinson, known for starring in *Beach Rats *(2017), the Palme d'Or winner *Triangle of Sadness* (2022), *The Iron Claw *(2023), and *Babygirl* (2024), also made his feature directorial debut with the acclaimed drama *Urchin* in 2025.
The actor recently told RadioTimes that he feels "really lucky" to portray Lennon. "It's such a unique experience to play someone of that calibre. I mean, it's intimidating, but it's enriching," he added.
Joseph Quinn as George Harrison
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Joseph Quinn; George Harrison.
Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty; Cyrus Andrews/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Joseph Quinn will portray the Beatles' guitar player George Harrison, who died of lung cancer on Nov. 29, 2001. Known as "the quiet Beatle," Harrison wrote iconic songs such as "Here Comes the Sun" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."
The upcoming Beatles film event reunites Quinn and Mescal, who were onscreen enemies in *Gladiator II*. Quinn is also known for his breakout role as Eddie Munson on *Stranger Things *(2022) and for movies such as *A Quiet Place: Day One* (2024),* Warfare *(2025), and *The Fantastic Four: First Steps* (2025).
Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr
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Barry Keoghan; Ringo Starr.
Mark and Colleen Hayward/Getty; Michael Loccisano/WireImage
Barry Keoghan will play Ringo Starr, the Beatles' drummer. Starr joined the Fab Four in 1962, replacing Pete Best. He's responsible for some of the group's most whimsical songs, including "Octopus' Garden."
Starr has expressed support for the films, previously telling *Entertainment Tonight *that he thinks "it's great" to have Keoghan portray him. In July 2025, he also shared that he requested a few script changes tied to his relationship with his first wife, Maureen Starkey Tigrett.
Keoghan earned his first Oscar nomination for *The Banshees of Inisherin* (2022), but he's also known for his roles in *Dunkirk *(2017), *Eternals *(2021), *The Batman *(2022), and *Saltburn* (2023).
Since his casting, Keoghan has spoken about visiting Starr at his home. "I was nervous," the actor recalled. "But he's like, 'You can look at me.'"
Saoirse Ronan as Linda McCartney
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Saoirse Ronan; Linda McCartney.
Euan Cherry/Getty; Michael Putland/Getty
Four-time Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan is taking on the role of Linda McCartney, a celebrated photographer and musician, and the first wife of Paul McCartney. After the Beatles broke up, Linda and Paul formed Wings and performed together until 1981. She also spent her life advocating for animal rights and remained with Paul until her death from breast cancer in April 1998.
The Beatles project reunites Ronan with Mescal, her onscreen husband in the 2023 sci-fi thriller *Foe*, and with Dickinson, her costar in *Blitz* (2024). Ronan first turned heads in the period drama *Atonement* (2007) and has since delivered acclaimed performances in *Brooklyn *(2015), *Lady Bird *(2017), *Little Women *(2019), and *The Outrun *(2024).
Anna Sawai as Yoko Ono
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Anna Sawai; Yoko Ono.
Araya Doheny/WireImage; Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Anna Sawai will play Yoko Ono, the Japanese artist, musician, and activist who first met Lennon at a London exhibition of her work. They married in 1969 and were inseparable until Lennon's assassination in 1980.
Sawai initially gained fame as a member of the J-pop group Faky and has since developed a successful acting career. She's best known for her roles on the TV shows *Pachinko *(2022āpresent), *Monarch: Legacy of Monsters* (2023āpresent), and *ShÅgun *(2024āpresent), the latter earning her a SAG Award, a Golden Globe, and a historic Emmy.
Aimee Lou Wood as Pattie Boyd
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Aimee Lou Wood; Pattie Boyd.
Amy Sussman/Getty; Michael Ward/Getty
Aimee Lou Wood takes on the role of Pattie Boyd, the model and photographer who crossed paths with Harrison on the set of the Beatles movie *A Hard Dayās Night*. The couple married in 1966 and divorced 11 years later.
Wood gained international fame with her acclaimed turn in the third season of *The White Lotus*, which earned her an Emmy nomination. Fans also know her for her BAFTA-winning turn as Aimee Gibbs on Netflix's comedy series *Sex Education *(2019ā2023).
Mia McKenna-Bruce as Maureen Starkey Tigrett
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Mia McKenna-Bruce; Maureen Starkey Tigrett.
Isaiah Trickey/FilmMagic; Bettmann Archive
Mia McKenna-Bruce will play Maureen Starkey Tigrett, an early fan of the Beatles who married Starr in 1965. They later divorced in 1975. She died on Dec. 30, 1994, from complications related to leukemia.
McKenna-Bruce is best known for starring in the drama film *How to Have Sex *(2023), for which she won the BAFTA Rising Star Award and a British Independent Film Award. She's also appeared in *Persuasion* (2022) and on shows such as *Tracy Beaker Returns *(2010ā2012), *The Dumping Ground *(2013ā2018), and *Vampire Academy *(2022).
The actress confirmed her casting on Instagram on Oct. 31, posting photos of Maureen with the caption, "Let's go Mo š¤."
Where can I watch The Beatles ā A Four-Film Cinematic Event?**
*The Beatles ā A Four-Film Cinematic Event *is set to hit theaters in April 2028.
Source: āEW Moviesā