Below is our first look at Paul Mescal (Paul McCartney), Barry Keoghan (Ringo Starr), Joseph Quinn (George Harrison), and Harris Dickinson (John Lennon) in Sam Mendes’ “The Beatles.” Production has begun in London.

Mescal, Keoghan, and Dickinson look spot-on — I have no doubt prosthetics were involved in achieving their look, but whatever they did, it worked. I can’t say the same about Quinn who doesn’t look like George — but you can’t win ‘em all.

Sony Pictures CEO Tom Rothman is banking on what might be the riskiest project of his career: four Beatles movies, all directed by Sam Mendes, all set for an April 2028 release. These movies are said to be costing about $100M each. That’s $400M+ in total, a price tag that rivals the biggest studio bets of the past decade. Rothman, however, is betting on Mendes.

Mendes recruited Greig Fraser (“The Batman,” “Dune”) as cinematographer, ensuring the project will look as stellar as its budget demands. Casting is still expanding: Anna Sawai (“Shōgun”) will play Yoko Ono, while Aimee Lou Wood (“The White Lotus”) has been cast as Patti Boyd, George Harrison’s wife of 11 years. Saoirse Ronan is Linda McCartney.

Mendes plans to shoot all four films consecutively, with a “Rashomon”-style structure that gives each instalment a distinct perspective. Screenwriters include Peter Straughan (“Conclave”), Jack Thorne (“Adolescence”), and Jez Butterworth (“Ford v Ferrari”). The fourth writer is widely believed to be Krysty Wilson-Cairns (“1917”), though her involvement hasn’t been officially confirmed.

The logistics are daunting. Keoghan recently told The Sun that “the group anticipates 15 months of shooting.” That breaks down to about three to four months of production per film, a grueling marathon for the cast and crew.

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