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Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Movies and TV devider Beatlemania returns: A four-film cinematic journey

Beatlemania returns: A four-film cinematic journey

Published Feb 1, 2026 02:26 pm
Sony Pictures has released the first images of the lead stars of the upcoming biopic "The Beatles - A Four-Film Cinematic Event," which will be shown in cinemas worldwide in April 2028.
The Fab Four. Clockwise: Paul Mescal, as Paul McCartney; Harris Dickinson, John Lennon; Joseph Quinn, George Harrison; and Barry Keoghan, Ringo Starr. (Image courtesy of Sony Pictures)
The Fab Four. Clockwise: Paul Mescal, as Paul McCartney; Harris Dickinson, John Lennon; Joseph Quinn, George Harrison; and Barry Keoghan, Ringo Starr. (Image courtesy of Sony Pictures)
The Fab Four will be composed of Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Harris Dickinson as John Lennon.
Earlier, it was announced that BAFTA winner Mia McKenna-Bruce, four-time Academy Award Nominee and Golden Globe Award winner Saoirse Ronan, Emmy and Golden Globe Award winning Anna Sawai, and Emmy Award nominee and BAFTA TV winner Aimee Lou Wood will be part of the movie.
McKenna-Bruce will star as Maureen (Cox) Starkey, Ronan as Linda (Eastman) McCartney, Sawai as Yoko Ono, and Wood as Pattie Boyd.
Paul Mescal (Paul McCartney)
Paul Mescal (Paul McCartney)
“Maureen, Linda, Yoko and Pattie are four fascinating and unique figures in their own right - and I’m thrilled that we’ve managed to persuade four of the most talented women working in film today to join this amazing adventure,” said Mendes.
Maureen Cox (Mia McKenna-Bruce) was an early fan of The Beatles who met Ringo Starr at the Cavern Club in 1962. Their romance blossomed quickly, they married in 1965 and had three children together.
Linda Eastman (Saoirse Ronan) was a celebrated photographer when she met Paul McCartney in 1967. There was an instant attraction and McCartney later said, ‘The first time I saw her, I just knew’.
Harris Dickinson (John Lennon)
Harris Dickinson (John Lennon)
Lennon first met the Japanese artist Yoko Ono (Anna Sawai) at a London exhibition of her work. Although Lennon was married at the time, he was immediately intrigued by Yoko, and the two eventually became inseparable creative partners for the rest of his life.
Pattie Boyd (Aimee Lou Wood) was a successful model when in 1964 she met Harrison on the set of the Beatles movie ‘A Hard Day’s Night’. The two began dating and later married, with Boyd sharing Harrison’s growing interest in Eastern mysticism.
The films mark the first time Apple Corps Ltd. and The Beatles – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr – have granted full life-story and music rights to a scripted film. Mendes conceived four theatrical feature films—one from each band member’s distinct point of view—that will intersect to tell the astonishing story of the greatest band in history.
Joseph Quinn (George Harrison)
Joseph Quinn (George Harrison)
The Beatles—A Four-Film Cinematic Event is a Neal Street production in association with Apple Corps for Sony Pictures. Mendes is producing alongside his Neal Street partner Pippa Harris and Neal Street’s Julie Pastor. Alexandra Derbyshire is also producing.
McKenna-Bruce gained prominence through her standout performance in How to Have Sex which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Un Certain Regard award. For her role, McKenna-Bruce won the BAFTA rising star award and British Independent Film Award for best lead performance.
Ronan is an acclaimed actress known for her versatility and performances in highly praised films, including Greta Gerwig's Little Women and Lady Bird, as well as Atonement and Brooklyn. Ronan won the Golden Globe Award for best actress in a motion picture musical or comedy for her performance in Lady Bird and is the second-youngest person to accrue four Academy Award nominations.
Sawai is known for her breakthrough role in Shogun, receiving widespread critical acclaim for her performance as well as an Emmy Award for outstanding lead actress in a drama and Golden Globe Award for best actress in a television series – drama.
Wood is known for her widely praised performance in the third season of The White Lotus, for which she received an Emmy Award nomination for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series, and her breakout role in Sex Education, for which she won the BAFTA TV Award for best female comedy performance.
McKenna-Bruce is represented by 42 Management, UTA and Luber Roklin. Ronan is repped by CAA. Sawai is repped by WME, 42, United Agents and Chris Abramson. Wood is repped by CAA, Independent and Sloane, Offer, Weber, Dern.
The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event is distributed in the Philippines by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.
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