Beatles Movies Reveal First Look at the Fab Four as Sam Mendes’ Ambitious Four-Film Project Gets Underway
Sony Pictures Classics
Sony and Sam Mendes officially kick off one of the boldest biopic experiments ever attempted, unveiling the first look at cinema’s next incarnation of The Beatles.
Sony’s long-gestating Beatles project is no longer theoretical. With production officially underway, the studio has revealed the first images of its four lead actors stepping into the roles of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr—marking the formal beginning of The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event, directed by Sam Mendes.
Rather than debuting the images through a traditional press drop, Sony opted for a playful, site-specific reveal rooted in Beatles history. Four individual postcards—each featuring one actor in character—were hidden across the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, inviting students to discover the first looks themselves. The move nods directly to the band’s hometown origins while signaling that Mendes’ project is thinking differently not just about storytelling, but about how the story is introduced to the world.
The four leads cast as the Fab Four are Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr. Each film will focus on one band member, together forming a unified cinematic portrait of The Beatles—a structure unlike any music biopic attempted before.
The project was first formally unveiled at CinemaCon last year, where Mendes appeared onstage alongside the cast to outline his vision. Rather than compressing decades of cultural impact into a single film, Mendes framed the four-movie approach as an opportunity for deeper emotional and psychological exploration. Each film is designed to stand on its own while functioning as part of a larger narrative tapestry, offering intersecting perspectives on the same moments in history.
The supporting cast reinforces the scope of the undertaking. Saoirse Ronan will portray Linda McCartney, with James Norton as Beatles manager Brian Epstein. Anna Sawai takes on the role of Yoko Ono, while Aimee Lou Wood plays Pattie Boyd. The ensemble is rounded out by Harry Lloyd as producer George Martin and Mia McKenna-Bruce as Maureen Starkey.
Behind the camera, Mendes is producing through Neal Street Productions alongside Pippa Harris and Julie Pastor. The screenplay team is equally high-profile, with Tony Award winner Jez Butterworth, Oscar winner Peter Straughan, and BAFTA and Tony Award winner Jack Thorne collaborating across the four films—suggesting a tonal ambition that extends beyond standard cradle-to-breakup biopic beats.
Sony has committed to releasing all four films theatrically in April 2028, a decision that underscores confidence in both the material and the audience’s appetite for a large-scale theatrical experience. Studio executives have been candid about the challenge of positioning a project this unprecedented. Sony Pictures chairman Tom Rothman has described the release strategy as intentionally bold, emphasizing that the scope of the idea demands a departure from conventional franchise logic.
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The timing is also notable. Music biopics remain one of Hollywood’s most reliable prestige plays, with recent and upcoming titles centered on Bruce Springsteen and Michael Jackson reinforcing the genre’s commercial viability. But Mendes’ Beatles films aim to move the form forward rather than replicate familiar beats, treating the band not just as icons, but as individuals whose internal dynamics shaped modern music.
As production ramps up, the first images signal a careful balance between transformation and restraint—recognizable silhouettes without overt caricature. It’s an early indication that Mendes is aiming for immersion rather than imitation, grounding mythic figures in human-scale performances.
With nearly three years until release, The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event is positioned less as a single moment and more as a long runway toward one of the most ambitious musical portraits ever mounted for the screen.
