Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan, Joseph Quinn and Harris Dickinson have recreated the Beatles’ Abbey Road crossing while filming Sam Mendes’ four-part Beatles biopic project in London. The scene offers a new look at the actors in character ahead of four interconnected films scheduled for theatrical release in April 2028.
Key Takeaways
- Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan, Joseph Quinn and Harris Dickinson filmed a recreation of the Abbey Road album cover in London.
- Mescal plays Paul McCartney, Keoghan portrays Ringo Starr, Quinn plays George Harrison and Dickinson portrays John Lennon.
- Sam Mendes is directing four interconnected films, with each movie told from the perspective of one Beatles member.
- The project has full life-story and music rights from Apple Corps and the Beatles rights holders.
- Sony Pictures plans to release the films theatrically in April 2028.
The four actors were seen walking across the road in character as Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison and John Lennon. The sequence recreates the formation associated with the cover of the Beatles’ 1969 album Abbey Road.
Rather than rebuilding the setting on a separate production stage, filming took place outside Abbey Road Studios at the crossing connected to the original photograph. The location gives the production a direct visual link to both the album artwork and the Beatles’ recording history.
The original cover photograph was taken by Iain Macmillan on August 8, 1969. Macmillan photographed the four Beatles crossing the road during a brief session outside the studio, producing six images before one was selected for the album cover.
The new recreation is one of the clearest public looks yet at all four principal actors together in their Beatles roles.
Four Actors Step Into the Beatles’ Roles
Paul Mescal portrays Paul McCartney, while Barry Keoghan plays Ringo Starr. Joseph Quinn takes the role of George Harrison, and Harris Dickinson portrays John Lennon.
Sony formally presented the four actors alongside Mendes at CinemaCon in April 2025, confirming a casting lineup that had previously been the subject of months of speculation.
The wider cast includes Saoirse Ronan, James Norton and Lucy Boynton, among other performers portraying people connected to the Beatles’ history. Ronan has officially been announced as Linda McCartney.
The Abbey Road shoot brings the four leads together around an image immediately associated with the band. It also provides a shared visual moment for a project that will ultimately divide its story among four separate films.
Four Connected Films Will Tell the Story From Different Perspectives
Mendes is directing four theatrical features rather than one conventional Beatles biopic. Each film will center on the perspective of an individual band member, while the stories are designed to intersect as part of a larger account of the group.
The structure distinguishes the project from the more familiar single-film approach used for most musician biographies. It has also become part of a wider conversation about how major music histories can be adapted for the screen.
That influence is already visible elsewhere in the industry. Reported Rolling Stones biopic discussions involving Mick Jagger have been linked to renewed attention surrounding Mendes’ four-film Beatles project, although no Rolling Stones production has been formally announced.
Mendes described the scale of the project when it was announced, saying, “I’m honoured to be telling the story of the greatest rock band of all time.”
The four screenplays are being written by Jez Butterworth, Peter Straughan and Jack Thorne. Sony Pictures is financing and distributing the films worldwide.
Full Music and Life-Story Rights Set the Project Apart
The project carries another notable distinction. Apple Corps and the Beatles rights holders have granted full life-story and music rights for a scripted film for the first time.
That authorization involves Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr as well as the interests representing John Lennon and George Harrison. It gives the filmmakers access to Beatles music while developing dramatized versions of the band members’ lives.
The rights arrangement is particularly important for a project centered so closely on the band’s creative history. Beatles recordings can form part of the films without requiring the production to separate the musicians’ personal stories from the music that defined their careers.
Interest in musician-centered films has also remained visible at the box office. The recent music biopic box office milestone reached by Michael, which surpassed $1 billion worldwide, illustrates the current theatrical audience for films built around major recording artists.
Mendes’ project takes a different narrative approach, however, by distributing one band’s history across four intersecting films instead of concentrating it in a single feature.
Abbey Road Connects the Films to the Band’s Recording History
The Abbey Road recreation gives the production a direct connection to the final phase of the Beatles’ recording career.
The original photograph was taken during the summer of 1969, when the band was working at the studio associated with the album. Abbey Road was released in September 1969 and was the final album the Beatles recorded together, although Let It Be was released afterward.
More than five decades later, the crossing remains closely tied to the band’s public image. The film production’s decision to shoot there allows the new cast to reproduce a historical image at the location where it originated rather than simply reference it through a constructed set.
The scene also serves a practical storytelling purpose. Although the four films will emphasize separate points of view, Abbey Road places Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr together in an image associated with the band as a collective.
That makes the sequence particularly suited to a project designed around the relationship between four individual stories and one shared history.
April 2028 Release Remains the Next Major Milestone
Sony Pictures plans to release all four films theatrically in April 2028. Official Beatles project announcements continue to list that month as the release window.
Production is therefore taking place well ahead of the films’ theatrical arrival. The Abbey Road shoot follows earlier filming in London and provides another indication of how the project is reconstructing recognizable periods and locations from the band’s career.
With four lead actors, four interconnected perspectives and authorized access to the band’s music and life stories, the Beatles biopic is structured as a broader cinematic project rather than a single chronological biography.
The Abbey Road recreation gives audiences an early visual reference point while production continues toward the planned April 2028 release.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who plays the Beatles in the new biopic?
Paul Mescal plays Paul McCartney, Barry Keoghan portrays Ringo Starr, Joseph Quinn plays George Harrison and Harris Dickinson portrays John Lennon. The four actors lead Sam Mendes’ connected Beatles film project.
Did the Beatles biopic cast recreate the Abbey Road cover?
Yes. The Beatles biopic cast filmed a recreation of the famous Abbey Road crossing in London, with the actors appearing in character as Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr.
How many Beatles films is Sam Mendes directing?
Mendes is directing four interconnected feature films. Each movie will focus on the story from the perspective of one member of the Beatles while contributing to the larger narrative.
When will the Beatles films be released?
Sony Pictures plans to release the four films theatrically in April 2028. Official Beatles announcements continue to identify April 2028 as the release window.
Will the Beatles’ music be used in the films?
The project has been granted full life-story and music rights for a scripted film by Apple Corps and the Beatles rights holders. That authorization allows the productions to incorporate the band’s music as part of the four-film project.
