It’s come time for Sam Mendes’ upcoming ‘Beatles’ movies to recreate one of the band’s most iconic images.
In much-shared social media videos, Harris Dickinson, Paul Mescal, Joseph Quinn and Barry Keoghan have walked down the famous Abbey Road album cover in a newly shared social media video. The four actors star as the Beatles in Mendes’ ambitious project, officially titled “The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event.”
Mendes, who is directing the film, had wanted to recreate the 1969 cover, but it was reported at the time that Westminster Council would not allow filming to take place there. It was later confirmed that the council had reversed its decision, giving Mendes the green light.
As you might already know, Mescal portrays Paul McCartney, Quinn plays George Harrison, Keoghan is Ringo Starr, and Dickinson takes on the role of John Lennon. The extensive ensemble cast also includes Saoirse Ronan as Linda McCartney, James Norton as Brian Epstein, Mia McKenna-Bruce as Maureen Starkey, Anna Sawai as Yoko Ono, Aimee Lou Wood as Pattie Boyd, Harry Lloyd as George Martin, David Morrissey as Jim McCartney, Leanne Best as Mimi Smith, Bobby Schofield as Neil Aspinall, Daniel Hoffmann-Gill as Mal Evans, Arthur Darvill as Derek Taylor, and Adam Pally as Allen Klein.
Sony Pictures CEO Tom Rothman is banking on what might be the riskiest project of his career: four Beatles movies, all directed by 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 bettingg on Mendes.
Mendes also recruited Greig Fraser (“The Batman,” “Dune”) as cinematographer for the project. Fraser had to turn down returning for both “Dune: Part Three” and “The Batman: Part Two” to shoot ‘The Beatles,’ as Mendes has essentially booked him for more than a year to handle cinematography across all four movies.
Mendes is shooting 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 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.
After this weekend, when “Artificial” and “Behemoth!” screen at NYFF, there won’t be many Oscar contenders left unseen. In fact, by my count, there are just two: ‘Cliff Booth,’ and “Dune: Part Three.”