Paul Mescal is definitely playing Paul McCartney in new Beatles biopic, Ridley Scott says

Ridley Scott appears to have confirmed that Paul Mescal will be playing Paul McCartney in Sam Mendes’ upcoming Beatles film series.

The four biopic projects were announced in February, with each film to tell the story of the Fab Four from a different band member’s perspective. They will be the first time the Beatles’ estates will have granted full life story and music rights for scripted films and will intersect to “tell the story of the greatest band in history”.

The films are set to have a global release in 2027, with producers saying in a statement: “The dating cadence of the films, the details of which will be shared closer to release, will be innovative and groundbreaking”.

Although all casting for the films remains unconfirmed, a report in June suggested that Mescal would portray McCartney, while Harris Dickinson would play John Lennon, Barry Keoghan would play Ringo Starr and Charlie Rowe would play George Harrison.

Now, Scott, who recently directed Mescal in Gladiator 2, appears to have confirmed the actor’s involvement in the project in a conversation with Christopher Nolan at the Directors Guild Of America on Tuesday (December 10).

Nolan asked Scott whether he wanted to work with Mescal again on his upcoming film The Dog Stars. “Yes,” Scott replied (via The Hollywood Reporter), before adding: “Maybe. Paul is actually stacked up, doing the Beatles next. So I may have to let him go.”

Mescal himself was asked about the role during an interview with Entertainment Tonight last month. “It would be an incredible story to be attached to,” he said. “The fact that Sam Mendes is attached to direct, like truly, it would be a dream come true.” He did, however, refuse to answer a direct question about whether he had signed on for the films.

Keoghan’s involvement also seems to have been confirmed, by Starr himself. When asked by Entertainment Tonight about the Saltburn star playing him, he said: “Well, I think it’s great. I believe he’s somewhere taking drum lessons, and I hope not too many.”

Mendes, meanwhile, known for helming 1917, Spectre and Skyfall, has said he expects to be working on the four Beatles films until “some time in the middle of 2028”. Information from Production List indicates that the first film will begin shooting in London in July 2025.

Elsewhere, Mescal turned Gladiator 2 into a musical on a recent episode of Saturday Night Live, in a play on the film’s simultaneous release with Wicked.

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