Sam Mendes is on the verge of forming his version of The Beatles.
Per Deadline, Joseph Quinn is the top choice to play George Harrison in Sam Mendes’ Beatles movies. Quinn has reportedly been spotted carrying a guitar case while filming Fantastic Four. Quinn is no stranger to the guitar, having memorably played Metallica’s Master of Puppets in Stranger Things season 4.
Since breaking out on Stranger Things, Quinn has parlayed that into several high-profile roles. In 2024, Quinn played Eric in A Quiet Place: Day One and Emperor Geta in Gladiator II. Next summer, Quinn will star as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch in Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Besides Quinn, who is expected to play the other members of The Beatles? Harris Dickinson is rumored to play John Lennon. On the red carpet for the Babygirl premiere, Dickinson neither confirmed nor denied the Lennon speculation, though he admitted it would be “amazing” to play the Beatles singer.
Eyeing the role of Paul McCartney is Quinn’s Gladiator II co-star Paul Mescal. The Irish actor has remained mum on the casting rumors. However, Gladiator II’s Ridley Scott spilled the beans about Mescal’s involvement in a recent conversation with Christopher Nolan at the Directors Guild of America. During the discussion, Nolan asked if Mescal was the star of Scott’s next film, The Dog Stars.
“Maybe,” said Scott (via The Hollywood Reporter) before quickly changing his answer. “Paul is actually stacked up, doing the Beatles next. So I may have to let him go.”
Finally, Barry Keoghan is in line to play drummer Ringo Starr. Ironically, Starr broke the news in a recent interview, saying that Keoghan was currently taking drum lessons to play him in the movies.
Mendes plans to direct four movies about the Beatles for Sony Pictures Entertainment. Each movie will focus on one member’s point of view in the band. The ambitious project is projected to begin filming in the summer of 2025. All four movies are expected to be released in 2027.
