Sony Pictures has announced additional casting for Sam Mendes' four-film Beatles project, with Anna Sawai, Aimee Lou Wood, and Mia McKenna-Bruce joining as Yoko Ono, Pattie Boyd, and Maureen Starkey Tigrett, respectively. Saoirse Ronan is set to portray Linda McCartney. The films, each focusing on one band member, are slated for release in April 2028.
Casting Announcements
The Beatles biopics have expanded their ensemble with key roles for the band's significant others. Anna Sawai, known for her Emmy-winning role in FX's 'Shōgun,' will play Yoko Ono, John Lennon's wife. Aimee Lou Wood, who gained acclaim in 'Sex Education' and 'The White Lotus,' takes on Pattie Boyd, George Harrison's first wife from 1966 to 1977. Mia McKenna-Bruce, a BAFTA Rising Star Award winner for 'How to Have Sex,' will portray Maureen Starkey Tigrett, Ringo Starr's first wife from 1965 to 1975. Saoirse Ronan, a four-time Oscar nominee, is confirmed as Linda McCartney, Paul McCartney's wife from 1969 until her death in 1998.
Director Sam Mendes expressed enthusiasm in a statement: "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."
Project Details
Titled 'The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event,' the project marks the first time the band and their descendants have granted music and life rights for a theatrical feature film. Each movie will explore the perspective of one member: Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr. The films trace the band's journey from Liverpool unknowns in the early 1960s to global stardom and their 1970 breakup.
Sony Pictures plans to release all four films in April 2028. Upcoming announcements are expected for roles like Cynthia Lennon, Brian Epstein, George Martin, and Ravi Shankar.
Background on the Roles
Yoko Ono met Lennon in 1966 at her art exhibition; they married in 1969 after his divorce from Cynthia Powell. Pattie Boyd met Harrison on the set of 'A Hard Day's Night' in 1964. Maureen Starkey began dating Starr in 1962, and they had three children before divorcing.
