Sam Mendes’ Beatles Casting: Here Crashes the Sun?

In April 2028, director Sam Mendes will release four interconnected films about the Beatles, all from different perspectives. Intriguing, if you ask me. While the world isn’t exactly starving for more movies about The Beatles (Google films about them and you will find a wide array), this project is ambitious and fresh. 

The British director, best known for his films American Beauty (1999) and Revolutionary Road (2008), announced these movies last year. He remarked he was “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.”

While there were many different opinions on what the cast should look like prior to the announcement earlier this month, there was one general consensus following the reveal: the casting was poor. Paul Mescal will star as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr.

Now, I’m not picky when it comes to casting in biopics, BUT this one is so terrible I can’t keep my opinions to myself. I’d like to preface that all of these actors are very talented, and as a self-proclaimed film snob, I enjoy the movies they have all been in. Although they are talented actors, they do not look anything at all like the actual Beatles. Of course, it is a film, and I understand that you won’t find someone who is identical that can act—but come on, they could have at least tried a little harder! Take the film on Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody (2018). The casting in that movie was impeccable, and some of the best casting in a biopic I can think of. They were able to cast the members of Queen so well, and in my personal opinion, the members of Queen have more unique features (specifically, Freddie Mercury) than the members of The Beatles. You could probably walk around Liverpool (where The Beatles are from) for an hour and find four guys who hold a closer resemblance than the actors cast. 

I’ve inspected multiple photographs of the actors, and the real people they are meant to look like have come to the surprising conclusion that Barry Keoghan was the worst cast; while he is an immensely talented actor whom I’ve been a fan of for many years, he doesn’t resemble Ringo much outside of a large nose. The best casting will have to go to Harris Dickinson, which isn’t particularly good either (won’t explain). 

Anyways. I’m intrigued to see what hair and makeup do in attempts to make them resemble the men they are portraying.