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Sam Mendes provides update on The Beatles biopics

Fri 25 October 2024 10:18, UK

After the project was announced in February, there has been heightened anticipation around the prospect of Sam Mendes biopics on The Beatles. However, in a new update, the director has revealed that we may have a long time to wait as he says that the set of films will keep him busy until 2028.

At the start of 2024, Mendes unveiled his plans to create a series of Beatles biopics unlike anything that had been seen before. Instead of tracing the story of the band, he will instead be diving deep into the story of each member. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison will each get their own feature-length film, allowing Mendes to thoroughly consider each musician.

While each will focus on a different member, the four films will naturally intersect and be intertwined. It’s unknown yet how Mendes will handle that or how the films will be released. A statement when the films were announced read, “The dating cadence of the films, the details of which will be shared closer to release, will be innovative and groundbreaking,” but there is no further information on what that means.”

These films are the first scripted biopics to get the green-light of approval from the band’s team. They have been granted full life story and music rights from Apple Corps Ltd and The Beatles, as well as the band’s families blessing.

However, it will be quite a while before any of this comes to fruition on the screen. In a recent interview on Variety’s Stagecraft podcast, Mendes revealed that these films will take him through to 2028. “I’ve got this huge Beatles project that I’m working on for the next several years,” he said, “So this is the last time you’ll see me until sometime in the middle of 2028.”

Currently, the date associated with the films’ release is 2027, but perhaps that is only when they will begin to hit the cinema, but Mendes’ latest comments suggest it may be further down the line than first initially envisioned.

Who is rumoured to play The Beatles in the biopics?

The biggest talking point surrounding Mendes’ biopics is who will play the Fab Four. Ever since the announcement of the project, there have been rumours, theories and fans have been putting plentiful of hypothetical suggestions forward.

The most enduring rumour around the casting is that Paul Mescal will be playing Paul McCartney. The Irish actor said in a recent interview that he would “love to be involved” but that there is currently “nothing set in stone.”

Other on-going rumours link Saltburn star Barry Keoghan to the role of Ringo Starr, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, and Charlie Rowe as George Harrison. At this stage, nothing is confirmed, this could all be speculation and Mendes might lean into the idea of finding four new and unknown actors.