The biggest band of all time is finally getting a set of major film adaptations, as Oscar-winning filmmaker Sam Mendes (1917, Skyfall) is set to direct a series of projects about The Beatles.
The colossal British band, responsible for some of the most beloved songs and albums in the history of music, will get four films directed by Mendes in 2027, one focused on the perspective of each member of the band.
Trying to cast this project will likely be a massive undertaking for Mendes and company, and dream castings will inevitably lead to some major names.
However, this feels like the kind of project where The Beatles themselves will be the draw, and we’ve picked four up-and-comers who we feel would be excellent fits for Paul, John, George and Ringo.
Paul McCartney: Fionn Whitehead
Whitehead broke out with the lead role in Christopher Nolan’s World War II epic Dunkirk, so he knows how to navigate such a major canvas as an actor as Mendes will likely work with in his Beatles project.
While he’s not quite the A-list star that some might want for McCartney, he reminds you a bit of McCarthy in his appearance and his effectively understated performance in Dunkirk does hint to an ability to command nuance in a role that could easily fall into caricature.
John Lennon: Isaac Hempstead Wright
Wright is absolutely best known for his portrayal of Bran Stark on the hit HBO series Game of Thrones, so he’d bring an instant recognizability to perhaps the most important role in this cast to nail in Lennon.
He’s got the look for Lennon, and his experience with such hefty dramatic material as he worked with the young Stark could help him really excel in bringing the late musician to life.
George Harrison: Jamie Flatters
While Flatters might not be someone you’ve heard of, he played a key role in 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water as the eldest Sully son Neteyam. He also played a leading role in the Netflix film The School for Good and Evil.
His star is rising, and he is just a dead ringer for how Harrison looked. His would be an exciting casting, one that pairs an actor with a real-life person that the former both looks like and could really do fine work with.
Ringo Starr: Ewan Mitchell
Another member of the Games of Thrones family whose profile has been rising as of late with roles on GOT spinoff House of the Dragon and 2023’s Emerald Fennell film Saltburn, Mitchell rounds out our casting as the jovial Ringo Starr.
If you add a ‘stache and grow out his hair, he’d be a really nice fit for the Beatles drummer, and he’s another rising actor who might ascend with such a fascinating role as Starr has in the Beatles story.
