MUSIC
These are the four actors said to be playing Ringo, John, Paul and George in the upcoming Beatles biopics
For the first time, Apple Corp have granted permission for four theatrical feature films which each Beatle telling their story.
John Lennon modestly downplayed the Beatles as: “Four guys, just a band that made it very big, that’s all”. Others night argue otherwise. The quartet from Liverpool were cultural shapeshifters who, during their relatively brief existence, defined the mood of the times like no one else.
Although Lennon might not have wanted to admit it openly, the Beatles were much more than just a group - they were a phenomenon, the likes of which we will never see again.
Their story has been documented extensively - and often mythologized to the point where fiction and reality become blurred.
There have been 18 Beatles biopics produced since the group broke up in 1970 - some excellent and others not very good at all. But none has been fully licensed and approved by Apple Corps until now.
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes and Neal Street Productions have been granted permission to tell the story of The Beatles with four distinct theatrical feature films. Each of the four Beatles will be played by an actor and narrate their tale and view of being a member of the biggest band the world has ever seen.
Shooting for the first of the four films will begin in London next summer and Mendes expects the project to last at least three years.
“Apple Corps is delighted to collaborate with Sam [Mendes], Pippa [Harris] and Julie [Pastor] to explore each Beatles’ unique story and to bring them together in a suitably captivating and innovative way,” Apple Corps CEO Jeff Jones said in a statement.
Who will play in four Beatles in Sam Mendes' biopics?
For the moment, there has been no official confirmation about who will play the four Beatles, although some names have been leaked.
Back in June, it was reported that English actor Harris Dickinson would play the role of John Lennon. The 28-year-old has worked in television and film for the past decade, gaining his first starring role in Eliza Hittman’s coming-of-age drama Beach Rats (2017).
Dickinson told Variety: "Obviously, John Lennon is a very complex role, a pretty formidable force to try to do. It would be cool. We’ll see".
Lennon’s soul brother sidekick Paul McCartney, according to the rumor mill, will be played by Paul Mescal. Mescal was born in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland and has worked in television, theater and latterly in film.
Most people will know him for his portrayal of Connell Waldron in the miniseries Normal People and his film CV resumé includes parts in The Lost Daughter, Aftersun and Gladiator II, among others.
Mescal hasn’t exactly covered himself in glory in recent weeks - some thought his appearance on SNL was hackneyed and in poor taste.
Another Irish actor has been slated to play the part of drummer, the Dingle’s very own king of bling, Ritchie Starkey, alias Ringo Starr. Barry Keoghan will be stepping into Ringo’s shoes and narrating his side of events - such as the time when, feeling unappreciated, he quit the band, only to be coaxed back with open arms and his Ludwig kit bedecked with flowers.
And finally gorgeous George Harrison, the tune-smith and lead guitarist who gifted us immortal works of art such as Here Comes the Sun, Something and Taxman, will likely be played by Joseph Quinn, according to the latest gossip.
Deadline had claimed that Charlie Rowe would portray Harrison but the same source now assures that Quinn is the man who will be strapping on his Gretsch to play the guitarist.
The London-born actor played Eddie Munson in the fourth season of the Netflix series Stranger Things and has worked in numerous West End productions (Wish List and Mosquitoes). His recent film work includes A Quiet Place: Day One and Gladiator II.
In their own way, John, Paul, George and Ringo were all complex characters and portraying them, with their distinctive Liverpudlian accents, will be a challenge.
Others have managed to pull it off in the past though - Stephen MacKenna was very believable as Lennon in The Birth of the Beatles (1979) - as was Ian Hart in Backbeat (1994) and Paul McGann in Lennon although the latter both had an advantage in that they are from Lennon’s hometown.