Meet The Beatles Movies
Ryan Gajewski
CinemaCon seems to have a lot going on — the new Spider-Man (no word on if he’ll be in Avengers: Doomsday), the new Karate Kid post-Cobra Kai, a fifth John Wick (and an animated prequel, both with Keanu Reeves back), etc — but the star of the show, so far, has to be Sony’s official announcement of The Beatles movies:
Director Sam Mendes took the stage at CinemaCon in Las Vegas to reveal the cast for the features and said that all four films are set for theatrical release in April 2028. The surprising plans to make four films — one for each member of the famed band — were first announced last year.
Drumroll, please: Mendes also brought the cast onstage. Set to star in the films are Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr. Each of the four movies will focus on one of the members of the Fab Four.
The fact that Mendes would be directing four separate movies about the band members was known, and the cast was widly rumored, but the fact that all four films will come out at the same time is… wild. And I think I love it?
To be clear, it sounds like they aim to do one a week in each of the four weekends of April 2028 — I double checked, there are four Fridays: April 7, April 14, April 21, April 28. How they decide the order there, I don’t know. But it will definitely be fun watching die-hards see all four in multiple orders to figure out the “best” way to watch, not unlike with Star Wars and other fan-obsessed films.
Honestly, I sort of hope they take the idea one step further and release all four at once on the same day in April. Could you imagine the chaos that would cause? How many theaters would be booking out 8+ hour viewings? (They presumably still will after all four are out by the end of April.) The fans would have to pick which one to see first. Do they go with their favorite Beatle or save their favorite for the finale?
Regardless, this is exactly the type of event and spectacle that movie theaters need more of. It’s going to make a zillion dollars for Sony.
First, the movies have to actually get made and be made well. But Mendes is a steady hand here. The idea of trying to shoot and edit four movies at once sounds insane, but the shooting part should actually be somewhat easier given they can do it all at once (helpful too since obviously all the core actors will be in the other actors’ films as well). It’s sort of like how they shot the Lord of the Rings trilogy at once, in an effort to save money and time. But they won’t be able to do reshoots here after one is released since again, they’ll all be out at once.
“We’re not just making one film about the Beatles — we’re making four,” Mendes said. “Perhaps this is a chance to understand them a little more deeply.”
Mendes claimed that Sony film boss Tom Rothman called the projects “the first binge-able theatrical experience.” After hitting the stage, all four actors recited lyrics from the band’s song “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and then took a Beatles-style synchronized bow.
The movie’s news closed out Sony’s presentation with a true mic-drop moment that left the auditorium stunned by the release date news and then, of course, by the surprise visits from the four stars.
I’m sort of surprised Apple didn’t attempt to do this given their long history with the band — dating to their dispute over their very name with Apple Corp, The Beatles record label. But once that got resolved, Apple, of course, ushered the band into the digital era under the guidance of Steve Jobs himself. Maybe they’ll figure out a way to pick up the streaming rights since Sony, famously, is the one studio without a streaming service. Then again, their deal with Netflix makes even more sense here. This is the first truly “bingeable” set of movies…
M.G. Siegler
M.G. Siegler