London (PA Media/dpa): Yes, it's true the Fab Four is coming alive again. Award-winning actresses Aimee Lou Wood, Saoirse Ronan, Mia McKenna-Bruce and Anna Sawai will star in the upcoming Beatles biopic films.
They will join "The Beatles - A Four-Film Cinematic Event" to portray Maureen Starkey (Bruce), Linda McCartney (Ronan), Yoko Ono (Sawai) and Pattie Boyd (Wood) in the four films, Sony Pictures has confirmed.
Directed by British film-maker Sam Mendes, the films will follow the lives of the Fab Four and are due to be released in April 2028.
Mendes said: "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.”
Wood, 31, known for "Sex Education" and "The White Lotus," will play model Pattie Boyd, who met George Harrison in 1964 on the set of the Beatles movie "A Hard Day’s Night."
She is joined by Ronan, 31, who starred in "Lady Bird" and "The Outrun" and will portray photographer Linda Eastman, who met Paul McCartney in 1967 and later married the singer.
"Shogun" star Sawai, 33, will portray Japanese artist Yoko Ono, who met Lennon when we was already married before going on to become lifelong creative partners, while "How To Have Sex" actress Bruce, 28, will portray Ringo Starr’s first wife, Maureen Starkey.
They join the previously announced cast which includes "Normal People" star Paul Mescal as McCartney and fellow Irish actor Barry Keoghan who will play Starr.
"Babygirl" actor Harris Dickinson will also star in the films as John Lennon, while Mescal’s "Gladiator II" co-star Joseph Quinn will portray George Harrison.
The project marks the first time Apple Corps Ltd and The Beatles - McCartney, Starr, and the families of Lennon and Harrison - have granted full life story and music rights for a scripted film.
Further casting announcements are yet to be made regarding who will portray Cynthia Lennon, Brian Epstein, George Martin, Ravi Shankar and other key roles.
Formed in 1960, The Beatles are the best-selling musical act of all time and one of the most influential groups in the world, having achieved 18 UK number one singles and 16 UK number one albums. - PA Media/dpa
