Earlier this year, it was revealed that Skyfall and 1917 director Sam Mendes will helm four movies about The Beatles, all of which will be released over the course of one year. Following that initial announcement, though, there haven’t been any major updates on how the projects are coming along. However, according to a comment from Ringo Starr, the drummer from arguably the most popular band ever, it seems like Barry Keoghan will play him in these Beatles movies, and I think this is a great choice.
Following reports surfacing of Keoghan’s involvement in Mendes’ Beatles movies, Entertainment Tonight asked Starr, who’s one of the band’s two surviving members alongside Paul McCartney, what he thought of the casting. He threw his full support behind it, saying:
I think it’s great. I believe he’s somewhere taking drum lessons, and I hope not too many.
Now keep in mind, this was Ringo Starr reacting to the prospect of Barry Keoghan playing him on the big screen. It’s unclear from this statement if this constitutes official confirmation from him or just his personal opinion stemming from information that came elsewhere. Although these four movies won’t come out until 2027, it’s previously been reported that production is expected to begin in the United Kingdom in mid-2025. So ideally, we should be learning in the next few months if Barry Keoghan will indeed appear in these biopics, as well as who will play Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison.
That said, if Keoghan is set to play Ringo Starr, I’m all for it. The actor’s been on the rise in recent years thanks to movies like Dunkirk, Eternals, Saltburn and The Banshees of Inisherin, the latter of which led to him being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He has the talent to effectively play Starr in these Beatles movies, and I wouldn’t be surprised if doing so not only nets him another Academy Award nomination, but sees him winning that golden honor. This could end up being a bigger deal than him getting an expanded role as The Joker in the Batman Epic Crime Saga.
Sam Mendes’ Beatles movies will focus on a different member’s point of view, meaning Keoghan, or whomever ends up playing Ringo Starr, will have one movie where he’s the center of attention, and he’ll be more of a supporting player in the others. The story chronicling the key events in the band’s rise to pop culture sensations will end with their 1970 breakup. These will be the first scripted movies about The Beatles ever made, and while Mendes is directing all four, a different writer is tackling each one.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more news about these Beatles movies, including if it’s 100% confirmed that Barry Keoghan will play Ringo Starr. You can also get your fill of the band by streaming the three-part documentary The Beatles: Get Back with a Disney+ subscription.
