Ringo Starr seems to confirm Barry Keoghan will play him in Sam Mendes biopic

Ringo Starr has seemingly confirmed that actor Barry Keoghan will play him in the upcoming Sam Mendes biopic about The Beatles.

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Back in October, Mendes confirmed that he’ll be working on four individual Beatles movies until “some time in the middle of 2028”. Each movie will intersect but will tell The Beatles story from a different band member’s perspective.

Speaking on a recent episode of Variety’s Stagecraft podcast, Mendes briefly mentioned how the Fab Four films were his next big movie-making endeavour, saying: “I’ve got this huge Beatles project that I’m working on for the next several years. So this is the last time you’ll see me until some time in the middle of 2028.”⁠

Since news of the movies were made public, there have been rumours that the core cast have been found, though details have not yet been officially announced.

The Hollywood Reporter shared a feature earlier this year which included speculation that Paul Mescal could be in the running to play Paul McCartney. According to The InSneider, John Lennon will be played by Harris Dickinson (Triangle Of Sadness), Starr by Keoghan (Saltburn), and George Harrison by Charlie Rowe (Slow Horses).

Now, Starr himself has seemingly confirmed Keoghan’s casting. In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Starr was asked about his thoughts on Keoghan playing him on the big screen.

In response, Starr said: “Well, I think it’s great. I believe he’s somewhere taking drum lessons, and I hope not too many,” he said.⁠

The films are the first scripted ones to have been granted full life story and music rights from Apple Corps Ltd. and The Beatles, as well as the band’s families. They are currently set for release throughout 2027, though it’s unclear what that release strategy will be. When the films were announced, a statement was shared saying: “The dating cadence of the films, the details of which will be shared closer to release, will be innovative and groundbreaking.”

Information from Production List indicates that the first film will begin shooting in London in July 2025.

Another Beatles-related biopic, Midas Man, based on the life of their manager Brian Epstein, comes to Prime Video on October 30.

NME gave the film a two-star review, with Nick Levine writing: “Midas Man has some empathy for its subject and a warm performance from Emily Watson as his mother Queenie, but no real curiosity about what made him tick. For this reason, it ultimately does a disservice to both Epstein the manager and Epstein the man.”