Hollywood does not exactly ration music biopics, but this one feels like a biggie: Sam Mendes, the man behind Spectre, Skyfall and 1917, will be directing four feature films about The Beatles. Each movie will be told from the perspective of the members who are, if you need reminding, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon and George Harrison.
Are you excited? Mendes certainly is: “I’m honoured 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.” You will be able to judge how exciting that notion is in 2027, when the films are set to arrive.
Okay, so, you may be exhausted by the prospect of another music biopic, not to mention four. But there are reasons to be excited. Macca, Ringo and the families of Lennon and Harrison have granted full rights for their life story and music for the series. And, according to the press release “the dating cadence of the films” will be “innovative and groundbreaking”. Sure!
Right now, the real fun is in working out who’s going to play the Fab Four. There is a strong case to cast unknowns – nothing more exciting than watching actors become stars before our eyes – but there is a very abundant crop of actors from the British isles and beyond who would be great choices. And while there is a lot we don’t know – are they going to pick one actor and age them up through the film or pick a few actors to play the musicians at different ages The Crown-style? Will they have to sing? – let us make some obvious (and wild) guesses.
Paul McCartney
The obvious choice: Tom Holland
Holland became a star by playing Spider-Man. Everyone knows that part of the story, but he has musical chops – not to mention the earnest, leading man vibe – to take on McCartney. He made his name playing Billy Elliot on stage, after all. And perhaps his most endearing public role to date? Dancing in full Rihanna regalia to “Umbrella” on Lip Sync Karaoke. Not only did Paul McCartney collaborate with Rihanna on "FourFiveSeconds", but he's one of the only mega star musicians we know of to have also released an umbrella-based song. It's clearly written in the stars. And what's more, this might be exactly the right role to get Holland back on the right track, following a few post-Marvel stumbles (The Crowded Room, we’re looking at you).
The wildcard: Jack Lowden
For a while now, Scottish actor Jack Lowden has been making his way through celebrated thrillers, from Dunkirk (surely one of Nolan’s sprawling cast from that film will be present here) to the Apple TV spy series Slow Horses. That series in particular proved that he's capable of a fine English accent, so that shouldn’t be a problem. He also has previous experience at playing an iconic singer, taking on the role of Morrissey in 2017’s England Is Mine, though that film’s muted reception might not necessarily work in his favour. Beyond those credentials, Lowden is simply a good actor: serious but not boring, with a cheekiness that would work well here. He would have to dye his hair but we could see him with a ’60s side-swept fringe.
John Lennon
The obvious choice: Aaron Taylor-Johnson
This is the laziest choice on the list because Taylor-Johnson has already played Lennon in Sam Taylor-Wood’s Nowhere Boy, which followed the musician’s teenage years. He has done the work, as they say. If Mendes wanted to start shooting immediately, Taylor-Johnson would just need to pop on a pair of National Health specs and they could start rolling. Alas, we probably need a fresh face and the actor may be a little (okay, way) too jacked post-Kraven.
The wildcard: Josh O’Connor
Josh O’Connor has experience playing one globally-recognised Brit for two seasons of The Crown, pulling off the lovelorn, eternally patient Prince Charles with aplomb. And the actor can channel the right blend of intellectual and neurotic for the singer. Let him take on Lennon!
Ringo Starr
The obvious choice: Anthony Boyle
If anyone could take off from Masters of the Air’s less famous supporting cast, perhaps it could be Irish actor Anthony Boyle. In that gigantic show – in terms of budget and cast size – Boyle managed to hold his own but never stole the limelight. All good training for Starr. And he’s about to appear in Apple TV’s Manhunt, a dramatisation about the aftermath of Lincoln’s assassination, opposite Tobias Menzies, which means signs point to a potential leading man. Without the burden of a past star-making turn, Boyle could make this role his own.
The wildcard: Isaac Hempstead Wright
It was hard to think of another pick for the affable drummer, but let us go with Isaac Hempstead Wright, stuck for eight seasons in Game of Thrones as the Stark family’s supernatural member. He has the (w)right look for the role, for one thing. Inevitably, though there’s plenty of pathos to be found in Starr’s Beatles career, anyone taking on the role will likely have to embrace the goofy side of things. Hempstead Wright was in a comedy film called The Boxtrolls. Did anyone see that? Please report back.
George Harrison
The obvious choice: Jacob Elordi
Look, I tried to avoid adding one of the most in-demand actors in Hollywood in this list, but after a quick Google of “young George Harrison”, the resemblance is undeniable. It’s the jawline and the lips and the hair (the height discrepancy admittedly might work against the buzzy actor). Elordi has played a very famous musician in Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla and perfected an English accent, albeit a very posh one, in Saltburn. If it seems strange to cast an Aussie hunk best known for playing an American jock as one quarter of an impish British boy band, well, that’s show business. And it would also draw in legions of smitten teenagers: fitting!
The wildcard: George Mackay
This actor has done his time in the standard British affair (including Mendes’ 1917) and, more intriguingly, taken on some edgier roles. He recently played a closeted drug dealer in horror flick Femme and is about to star in sci-fi romantic drama The Beast opposite Léa Seydoux. What he lacks in physical resemblance, he makes up for in versatility. Mackay can be charming, sure, but there is always something below the surface and he has just the right amount of aloofness. You could probably cast him as any band member, but he would be the best fit for the eclectic Harrison.
Henry Wong is a senior culture writer at Esquire, working across digital and print. He covers film, television, books, and art for the magazine, and also writes profiles.
