Hollywood’s latest attempt at Beatlemania isn’t just one big-screen tribute to the Fabulous Four—it’s four.
Director Sam Mendes, known for 1917 (2019) and Skyfall (2012), has ambitiously decided that one Beatles biopic is a mere amuse-bouche. Instead, he’s serving up a four-course feast: a four-part Beatles biopic, with each film focusing on the perspective of one band member. All four movies (a quadrology?) are set to drop theatrically within the same month in April 2028, like a meteor.
A Casting Coup for the Ages
Are you a hot British or Irish actor? You might be playing a Beatle.
The cast is, in one phrase, a chef’s kiss. A veritable who’s who of internet heartthrobs have been selected to portray the four band members: Paul Mescal takes on Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson will channel John Lennon, Joseph Quinn steps in as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan—ever the wildcard—is our Ringo Starr.
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All four stars reportedly recited lyrics from “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band” at CinemaCon before bowing in sync. It’s like a casting director asked, “Who’s currently breaking hearts and selling tickets?” and then said, "Yes, all of them.”
What We Can Expect
Mendes has promised something fresh with this approach, calling it a “bingeable cinematic event.” Whether that means all four films will release simultaneously or in weekly installments remains unclear, but Sony is clearly banking on fans willingly submitting themselves to eight-plus hours of rock ‘n’ roll drama.
Sam Mendes speaks onstage to promote the upcoming films "The Beatles: A Four-Film Cinematic Event"Gabe Ginsberg/WireImage
The question, though, is: Do we really need this? The Beatles’ story has been told countless times, in every medium imaginable. Peter Jackson’s Get Back gave us nearly eight hours of unfiltered Beatles, and Martin Scorsese dropped a documentary on their arrival in America. Short of digging up George Martin’s recording logs and turning them into a Broadway play, there isn’t much Beatles content left untapped.
But then again, Mendes has an intriguing pitch. Each film reportedly tells the band's saga from a different member’s perspective—meaning we may get radically different versions of the same events. Will Paul’s film be all sunshine and melodies while John’s turns brooding and existential? Will George’s be a spiritual odyssey, and Ringo’s a chaotic drum-fueled joyride? Will we get the full breakup from four angles? Or will it all feel like an overly ambitious fever dream cooked up by a studio executive who just watched Oppenheimer and thought, "We need this, but make it Beatles"?
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The truth is, we’ll be watching. We'll be there, popcorn in hand, ready to be swept away by the nostalgia, the music, and the sheer spectacle of it all. Because, let’s face it, even if Mendes's vision turns out to be a glorious train wreck, it’ll be a beautiful, star-studded train wreck. And in the age of endless streaming, a cinematic event of this magnitude is a rare and precious thing.
Also, uhh excuse me, who doesn’t want to watch Paul Mescal on screen?
