Sony Pictures has unveiled first look images of Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan, Joseph Quinn, and Harris Dickinson in character for ‘The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event’, directed by Sam Mendes. Each film focuses on a different band member and will unfold from that member’s unique perspective, with Mescal as Paul McCartney, Keoghan as Ringo Starr, Quinn as George Harrison, and Dickinson as John Lennon. This marks the first time that Apple Corps Ltd. and the Beatles estate have granted full life and music rights for a scripted production. The images initially appeared as postcards hidden around the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, the drama school co-founded by Paul McCartney, as part of a marketing campaign. The project carries a budget of about $100 million per film, totaling over $400 million, with cinematography by Greig Fraser.
Keoghan recently revealed that the group anticipates 15 months of shooting, breaking down to about three to four months of production per film. The ensemble cast also includes Saoirse Ronan as Linda McCartney, Anna Sawai as Yoko Ono, Aimee Lou Wood as Pattie Boyd, James Norton as manager Brian Epstein, Mia McKenna-Bruce as Maureen Starkey Tigrett, Harry Lloyd as producer George Martin, David Morrissey as Jim McCartney, Leanne Best as Aunt Mimi Smith, Bobby Schofield as road manager Neil Aspinall, Daniel Hoffman-Gill as roadie Mal Evans, Arthur Darvill as press officer Derek Taylor, and Adam Pally as Allen Klein. Mendes promised that the multi-part biopic will be the “first binge-able theatrical experience”, though the exact release strategy remains unclear. All four films are currently scheduled to release in theaters on April 7, 2028. The production is being made by Neal Street Productions in association with Apple Corps for Sony Pictures, with Mendes, Pippa Harris, Julie Pastor, and Alexandra Derbyshire producing and Jeff Jones executive producing.