Below is our first look at Paul Mescal (Paul McCartney), Barry Keoghan (Ringo Starr), Joseph Quinn (George Harrison), and Harris Dickinson (John Lennon) in Sam Mendes’ “The Beatles.” Production has begun in London.
Mescal, Keoghan, and Dickinson look spot-on — I have no doubt prosthetics were involved in achieving their look, but whatever they did, it worked. I can’t say the same about Quinn who doesn’t look like George — but you can’t win ‘em all.
Sony Pictures CEO Tom Rothman is banking on what might be the riskiest project of his career: four Beatles movies, all directed by Sam Mendes, all set for an April 2028 release. These movies are said to be costing about $100M each. That’s $400M+ in total, a price tag that rivals the biggest studio bets of the past decade. Rothman, however, is betting on Mendes.
Mendes recruited Greig Fraser (“The Batman,” “Dune”) as cinematographer, ensuring the project will look as stellar as its budget demands. Casting is still expanding: Anna Sawai (“Shōgun”) will play Yoko Ono, while Aimee Lou Wood (“The White Lotus”) has been cast as Patti Boyd, George Harrison’s wife of 11 years. Saoirse Ronan is Linda McCartney.
Mendes plans to shoot all four films consecutively, with a “Rashomon”-style structure that gives each instalment a distinct perspective. Screenwriters include Peter Straughan (“Conclave”), Jack Thorne (“Adolescence”), and Jez Butterworth (“Ford v Ferrari”). The fourth writer is widely believed to be Krysty Wilson-Cairns (“1917”), though her involvement hasn’t been officially confirmed.
The logistics are daunting. Keoghan recently told The Sun that “the group anticipates 15 months of shooting.” That breaks down to about three to four months of production per film, a grueling marathon for the cast and crew.
Short Description
First-look images reveal the cast of Sam Mendes’s four upcoming Beatles biopics. Sony is investing a stunning $400+ million, making this one of Hollywood’s biggest financial gambles.
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Main Article
Sony Pictures has placed one of the largest and most audacious financial bets in modern Hollywood history. With Sam Mendes’s four-part Beatles biopic project officially in production, the studio is committing over $400 million—a staggering sum that underscores both the potential reward and immense financial risk. Each of the four films, slated for a simultaneous April 2028 release, carries an estimated $100 million budget, a move that diverges sharply from the industry’s typical franchise rollout. For CEO Tom Rothman, this is a monumental studio bet on the director’s vision and the enduring, global power of the Beatles brand.
The project’s massive scale is matched by its complex production strategy. Director Sam Mendes plans to shoot all films consecutively over an intense 15-month schedule, employing a “Rashomon”-style narrative where each movie offers a distinct member’s perspective. This logistical marathon for the cast, led by Paul Mescal as McCartney and Barry Keoghan as Starr, aims to capture the band’s multifaceted story. Adding to the creative firepower is Oscar-winning cinematographer Greig Fraser, ensuring the visuals justify the monumental investment.
This venture represents more than just a cinematic endeavor; it’s a high-stakes financial case study. The $400+ million price tag for a non-superhero, primarily dramatic series of films is unprecedented. The financial risk is enormous, with Sony essentially pre-funding an entire franchise in one go, banking on all four installments to resonate globally. If successful, it could redefine how studios approach major biopic franchises, proving that intellectual property with unparalleled cultural recognition can justify a blockbuster-level financial model rarely seen outside of action and fantasy genres.
Short Summary
Sony Pictures is making a landmark $400+ million investment in Sam Mendes’s four-part Beatles biopic project. This massive financial gamble, with films shot consecutively for an April 2028 simultaneous release, represents one of Hollywood’s riskiest and most ambitious studio bets, testing whether deep cultural IP can sustain a blockbuster-level financial model.
