Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney? Beatles Movie Shares Best Look Yet at Fab Four Actors
The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event—Sam Mendes’ massive, four-film exploration of the lives of each of the Beatles—won’t arrive in theaters for more than two years. But we’re already getting a sneak peek at what the onscreen Fab Four will look like.
On Thursday, The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts—the Liverpool lads’ hometown performing arts school, which was co-founded by Paul McCartney—shared a sneak peek of a batch of postcards they had in their possession showcasing the transformation of the four actors tasked with playing the Beatles. In the somewhat faraway photo, we got a glimpse of Oscar nominee as McCartney, which sent fans of both the band and the Hamnet actor into a frenzy.
In what became something of a scavenger hunt, Sony printed out postcards of all four movies’ stars—Mescal as McCartney, Oscar nominee Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and two-time BAFTA nominee Harris Dickinson as John Lennon—for students to find.
On Friday, Sony then shared the close-up images with the rest of the world—and the makeovers are mighty impressive.
First up is Mescal as McCartney, a.k.a. “The Cute One.” In September, the Irish actor told IndieWire that he had a chance to spend some time with the iconic musician in preparation for the role.
“He’s an extraordinary man,” Mescal said of the man he’ll portray on screen, adding, “It’s a crazy sentence to say that I’ve spent time with that man, let alone play him.” The 29-year-old also confirmed that he’ll do his own singing in the film.
Keoghan, who showed up to the premiere of his new film Crime 101 with a full mop top earlier this week, has shared that he, too, was able to spend time with Starr ahead of filming his biopic—and that he was so nervous he “couldn’t look at him.”
“It was sort of one of those moments where you’re in awe and you’re just frozen,” the Irish Saltburn actor said while appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where he revealed that he met Starr at his home and the legendary drummer even played for him.
Neither Quinn nor Dickinson, of course, got the chance to meet their onscreen alter egos—but they have both admitted to being just as intimidated to take on the roles of these musical giants.
While Quinn has praised his co-stars as very “talented, thoughtful men” who he is excited to work collaborate with on these films, he has also admitted that he is “nervous” to take on such a gigantic icon.
Dickinson, meanwhile, has been open about the pressures of playing Lennon. In a September interview with The Times, the 29-year-old shared that he has also met McCartney, but that he really had to think about saying yes to the project.
“It felt frightening because of the magnitude of the character—this icon,” the Babygirl actor said. “There’s always a fear, but the fear around the exposure that will come with it didn’t creep in too much because it is a privilege that I get to do this every day.”
When Will Sam Mendes’ Beatles Biopics be Released?
The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event will arrive in theaters at the same time on April 7, 2028. Sony Pictures Entertainment chairperson Tom Rothman, who helped to create the films, is describing the movie mega-drop as “the first bingeable theatrical experience.”
In addition to Mescal, Keoghan, Quinn, and Dickinson, the films—each of which will tell the story of the Fab Four from that particular member’s standpoint—will co-star James Norton as Brian Epstein, the band’s manager who was often referred to as “The Fifth Beatle.” Saoirse Ronan will play Paul’s wife Linda McCartney, Anna Sawai will portray Lennon’s partner Yoko Ono, and Aimee Lou Wood will play Harrison’s wife Pattie Boyd.