Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture
  3. Evergreens

Everything we know about the four Beatles biopics

Get ready for Beatlemania

By
The Beatles perform their rooftop concert in 1970.
Apple Corps Ltd.

As if there aren’t enough musical biopics that have been released in the last decade, director Sam Mendes is adding a quartet of Beatles movies to his filmography. A unique set of films that connect into one greater whole, the upcoming Beatles biopics have to be watched together to get a full appreciation of the band’s story. Much like Marvel fans who watch all of the superhero movies to get the best experience out of the story, this set of films will work the same way. Whether making an expanded Beatles universe of films is a good idea or not remains to be seen.

Each film will give equal screentime to Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon, and Ringo Starr. They will come out around the same time to encourage fans to see all of them. This is made possible by a simultaneous filming schedule in which all four movies will be produced alongside each other. The estimated release date is sometime in April 2028, according to Gold Radio. Sony hasn’t decided yet whether all four movies will come out on the same day or whether there will be slight differences in release, whether that be one a week, etc. We have everything you need to know about the four Beatles movies right here, from the actors in the films to each Beatle’s importance today.

Paul McCartney Biopic

Pauk McCartney performing
Mark Reinstein / Shutterstock

Paul Mescal will play Paul McCartney in the film following the oldest living member of the Fab Four. Mescal is one of the biggest upcoming film stars today after appearing in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II and receiving a nomination for Best Actor at the Academy Awards for Aftersun. Mescal has a charming demeanor that also doubles as innocence. This is a perfect combination when playing Paul McCartney.

Recommended Videos

Some fans are upset that McCartney is being played by someone who already has a reputation as a rising star, instead suggesting that all four Beatles should have been portrayed by unknowns. As we saw with Timothee Chalamet playing Bob Dylan last year in A Complete Unknown, the fame of an actor in a biopic shouldn’t be a distraction if they are giving a wonderful performance.

There isn’t an exact release date on the Paul McCartney biopic, but it should come out within the same timeframe as the other three films. Expect this one in April 2028. McCartney is one of only two living members of the band. It will be fun to see if he has any reactions to the film when it comes out.

John Lennon Biopic

Artwork of John Lennon
emka74 / Shutterstock

John Lennon is the most controversial member of the Beatles, and he’ll be played by the least famous of the four in the cast. Harris Dickinson has most notably appeared in Beach Rats, The Iron Claw, and See How They Run. Lennon’s life story is littered with drama, romance, and tragedy. We don’t know exactly what parts of Lennon’s life will be depicted in this film, but we’re sure that his wife, Yoko Ono, will feature at some point. Ono hasn’t been cast yet, but a rumor circulating has Shogun’s Anna Sawai as a potential choice.

Lennon’s assassination and the ensuing cult-like fandom surrounding his legacy should be a large part of this film. This is an event that has been retold and re-analyzed ad nauseam. Mendes will have to get creative, interview new people, and tell a different side of the story if he wants to keep the fandom’s attention. The release date will once again be in April 2028 with the rest of the film series.

George Harrison Biopic

George Harrison album
Kevinpalacios0 / Shutterstock

George Harrison is the most forgotten Beatle of the bunch. He’ll be played by one of the busiest actors in Hollywood right now. Joseph Quinn from Stranger Things and the new Fantastic Four franchise will be playing the role of the band’s lead guitarist. Harrison had a relatively quiet career post-Beatles. His death in 2001 from cancer certainly didn’t create the fervor that Lennon’s murder did. Quinn and Mendes have a lot of liberties here in crafting a story about the band’s fourth wheel.

Ringo Starr Biopic

Ringo Starr in front of a crowd
Josiah True / Shutterstock

Ringo Starr will have a lot to say about his film in the franchise as one of the two remaining members of the band. He’ll be played by Barry Keoghan. The Irish star has been busy with films such as Saltburn, Eternals, and The Banshees of Inisherin. Starr is one of the best drummers of all time, but much like Harrison, he didn’t have a lot of controversy or a huge solo career. The film, from his perspective, should give a new voice to his life during and after the band.

Are there any trailers for the Beatles biopics?

There aren’t any trailers for the films yet, as they haven’t even begun filming. With the release date almost three years out, expect it to be a while longer before we get any footage of the film series. There should be four separate trailers that come out at the same time if Sony wants to market this as one mega-event (which they do).

Shawn Laib
Shawn Laib
Contributor
Shawn Laib is a freelance writer with publications such as Den of Geek, Quote.com, Edge Media Network, diaTribe, SUPERJUMP… Read Full Bio
Topics
Culture
The Manual Library: 10 action franchises to pass the cold weekends
Cross

Guys need to read more. Every time I start doomscrolling on TikTok or Instagram, the BookTok world is almost exclusively curated for women. That is why we need to start pushing our love for the bang-bang shoot-’em-ups. The debonair spy. The man on his own, cut off from all help, with only his skills and his wits to help him overcome the obstacles between him and his mission. As men, we love these escapes from the mundane lives and diving into the hero fantasy we all have. When women talk about the mental load they carry every day, men are usually creating our own mental load with safety and security: “What would I do if someone attacked from here? Or there?” Really, what we’re asking is, “What would Jason Bourne do?”

I tend to live in this place in my head when I need to escape from the world, but it is more fun to read about it. As the weather begins to turn and our evenings and weekends are colder and darker, we need something to occupy our time to get us from now until we can escape to the great outdoors in the spring. Here are some action and adventure book recommendations to get your heart going and quench that hero fantasy without doing anything dangerous.

Read more
Culture
5 lessons the military teaches you that you don’t learn in school
Saving Private Ryan

This is not a knock on public school. I went to public school. I liked public school. There is a system of life training built into the social fabric of school where we learn a lot about ourselves and the lives we are about to live. But the truth is we don’t learn a lot about life from the actual curriculum in the classroom. We learn that Paul Revere rode through the streets to alarm everyone that the British were coming. We learned that A squared plus B squared equals C squared. We even learned what an electron is. But there are precious little practical life lessons you can take with you. For me, I picked a lot of those through movies (a lot of parents are shaking their heads right now, but don’t knock it completely; there is a lot you can learn from movie perspectives) and my time in the United States Army.

The military teaches you a ton of practical life skills that will elevate your life when applied to your day-to-day. Here are five of them with a couple bonuses at the end.

Read more
Culture
Coffee is for closers: How Blake from Glengarry Glen Ross’s iconic scene teaches you more than sales
Alec Baldwin

There are moments in movies that stand the test of time. They are the first thing we think of when someone uses a turn of phrase or references something that sends your brain down the rabbit hole of movie quotes. These become cultural stalwarts and embed themselves into the very collective consciousness of our society. Some become known for certain industries. Wanna know what law enforcement is like? Check out Training Day or End of Watch. Wanna know what being a firefighter is like? Press play on Backdraft. How about military life? Full Metal Jacket, Jarhead, or Officer and a Gentleman. Want realism? Don’t watch any of them. But what about sales? There are a dozen movies that can teach you how to sell. Boiler Room. The Wolf of Wall Street. But none of them are as iconic as Glengarry Glen Ross. In fact, one scene in that movie every salesman should watch. Blake’s 8-minute tongue-lashing at the office underachievers.

Alec Baldwin took less than ten minutes to cement himself in the lexicon of sales mentors. Walking into the office, he looks at Ed Harris, Jack Lemmon, and Alan Alda and rips them to shreds when one pours himself some coffee.

Read more