In February of 2024, Sam Mendes announced that he would be telling the story of The Beatles, saying “I’m honored to be telling the story of the greatest rock band of all time, and excited to challenge the notion of what constitutes a trip to the movies.” Sunday night Mendes confirmed the rumored cast at CinemaCon during Sony’s panel. 

Now confirmed, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr. The rising Irish and English stars are now set to take on what some consider ‘the role of a lifetime’ in a set of four films. 

Mendes also confirms that all four movies will be released in April of 2028, speculation has it that they all could be released on the same day, but that has yet to be confirmed. With four films unconfirmed to be released daily, weekly, or monthly, Sony’s eventual choice hammers home the Mendes’ statement that this will be the “first binge-able theatrical experience.” 

This marks the first time a narrative feature has been given access to The Beatles’ never-ending catalog of their classic hits ranging from “Come Together,” “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-da,” and countless more. Principal photography will take nearly a year Mendes confirmed showing just how massive of an undertaking these stories are. Sony seems confident in taking a gigantic bet with four theatrical releases, but they are no strangers to similar box-office risks. 

Will movie-goers and general audiences want this kind of endeavor? After the success of the viral Barbenheimer theatrical run, many believe that audiences will show out for these event-type movies. The Beatles are the highest-selling music act of all time, so Mendes will try to tap into that cross-generational appeal. 

“We went out to L.A. just before Christmas to pitch the project, and it’s fair to say we were met with universal enthusiasm,” Mendes told Deadline. “The reason Sony stood out from competing offers was down to Tom [Rothman] and Elizabeth’s [Gabler] passion for the idea and commitment to propelling these films theatrically in an innovative and exciting way.”

Update Courtesy of Jacob Diedenhofer

Feature Image Credit to PEOPLE and John Russo; Pictured Left to Right: Harris Dickinson, Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan, Joseph Quinn