Sorry, But Were The Beatles Ever This Collectively Hot?

This week, CinemaCon, aka the largest convocation of movie theater industry people annually, is taking place in Las Vegas. On its first day alone, attendees got a first look at the forthcoming Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell rom-dram, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey; a new installment of Spider-Man; and the long-overdue I Know What You Did Last Summer threequel, with Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt reprising their roles.

Of course, all of that is very exciting, and I plan to be front row at two out of those three films on opening day (I’ll let you guess which ones). But no announcement has nabbed more headlines in the last 12 hours than a certain casting confirmation of a highly anticipated Sam Mendes project…

After months of speculation, the famed director announced the four actors who will portray the Beatles in a four-part biopic, officially titled The Beatles–A Four-Film Cinematic Event. In the starring roles are none other than Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison. Though details are still scant, the four films will be told through the perspective of each Beatle in their own solo film. The film’s longline: “Each man has his own story, but together they are legendary.”

the marketing for the beatles biopic is gonna get so much mileage out of PAUL Mescal is PAUL McCartney

— zoë rose bryant (@zoerosebryant) April 1, 2025

First of all, I haven’t seen any of these actors in costume yet, and I already believe they’re the Beatles. Look at the material! It’s well-documented that Mescal is an adept, if not deeply heartfelt vocalist; Dickinson has already done Lennon’s introspection and certain abrasiveness side with ease (see: Beach Rats, The Iron Claw, Babygirl); Quinn’s got Harrison’s humble disposition down pat, and does anyone else in Hollywood have Starr’s nose power but Keoghan? Come on. Second, they’re arguably four of the most-coveted (and bankable) young actors right now. Though I would’ve liked to see an unknown or two in the mix, the casting does make sense given the scale and the behemoth budget I’m sure Sony is investing.

The films won’t arrive until April 2028, meaning that there are three whole years to prepare before they inevitably become the personality of the most annoying girl you know (me). And curiously, all four films will reportedly be released that same month in what Mendes is calling “a bingeable moment in cinema.” Damn. Even Wicked Part 1 and 2 are being released in two different years…

“I had been trying to do a film for years, but I finally gave up,” Mendes told attendees, adding that the “story was too big for one film” and he didn’t think a TV series was right. “There had to be a way to tell the epic story for a new generation…I can assure you there is still plenty left to explore and I think we found a way to do that.”

If they get Anna Sawai and Aimee Lou Wood in those Beatles movies they’ll be way more interesting than the guys

— justin (@jerstonfilm) April 1, 2025

At the presentation, Mescal, Dickinson, Keoghan, and Quinn made an appearance on stage to quote Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band: “It’s wonderful to be here, it’s certainly a thrill, you’re such a lovely audience, we’d like to take you home with us.” Don’t threaten me with a good time, gentlemen.

As is the case for most film announcements of late, criticism from the terminally online was swift. As it turns out, a lot of people don’t seem to see the vision quite yet. “You might as well cast Sydney Sweeney as Yoko Ono at this point lmao,” tweeted on user. “Four famous men who look nothing like the beatles star in the beatles films!! okay…” wrote another. As for how the release will go down, many seem to wonder if all four films will run in theaters concurrently (or worse: one after the other) and why the hell anyone would agree to a cinematic event that makes The Brutalist seem like a quick and tidy romcom? “Theater chains after being told they are going to have to run 8 hour screenings of the beatles,” one person tweeted alongside a GIF on a zombielike Joe Biden.

Honestly, I get it. I don’t want to be anywhere but my apartment for more than three hours, let alone a movie theater where people don’t know how to behave themselves. Still, I, for one, am excited. And hopefully, all the more so after those Yoko Ono, Pattie Boyd, and Linda McCartney castings are announced…