Here’s an update on Sam Mendes’ ambitious quartet of Beatles biopics.
We didn’t have too much detail about the screenwriters behind the films. It’s already been reported that Peter Straughan (“Conclave”), and Krysty Wilson Cairns (“1917”) will each pen one instalment, but how about the other two?
One prominent name has now surfaced: Jack Thorne, co-creator of Netflix’s “Adolescence.” Multiple sources are telling Jeff Sneider that Thorne is now actively involved in scripting one of the films.
Meanwhile, Deadline has Jez Butterworth — who wrote “Ford v Ferrari” — as the fourth writer. His other screenwriting credits include “Spectre,” “Black Mass,” “Edge of Tomorrow,” and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.”
Each writer’s work is being kept separate from the others. Straughan had more recently compared the storytelling to “Rashomon,” noting that there would be “certain famous scenes from their lives” told from different points of view.
Last we heard, Mendes was supposed to shoot all four films consecutively later this year. The confirmed cast has Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison.
Sources also indicate that Mendes is eyeing Emmy-winning actress Anna Sawai, known for her role in FX’s “Shōgun,” to play Yoko Ono, Lennon’s partner. There will be other actors announced in the coming months, and so will a DP, with Mendes regular, Roger Deakins having been offered to lens. No word yet on whether he accepted.
As for release plans, Sony confirmed a theatrical rollout for all four films in April 2028, with a likely strategy of releasing one each Friday of that month.