The creative team behind Sam Mendes’ visionary Beatles project — The Beatles: A Four-Film Cinematic Event— is now official, and it’s nothing short of a screenwriting powerhouse. Acclaimed writers Jez Butterworth, Peter Straughan, and Jack Thorne have boarded the project to script what promises to be a historic cinematic deep dive into the lives ofJohn Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.
Set for a global theatrical rollout in April 2028, the four separate films will each focus on one of the Fab Four, telling the Beatles’ story through their unique perspectives. With full authorisation from Apple Corps Ltd., the surviving Beatles, and the estates of the late John Lennon and George Harrison, the project is backed by an unprecedented level of access to the band’s music and life stories.
Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes (1917, American Beauty) is helming the films, which Sony Pictures is producing in collaboration with Neal Street Productions, the company Sam Mendes co-founded. Pippa Harris, Julie Pastor, and Alexandra Derbyshire (Wonka) are also attached as producers.
The writing trio is as decorated as it is diverse. Jez Butterworth brings experience in high-octane cinema and lyrical drama, having penned Ford v Ferrari, Spectre, Edge of Tomorrow, and the Tony-winning play The Ferryman. His ongoing collaboration with Sam Mendes includes stage successes like The Hills of California.
Joining him is Oscar-winner Peter Straughan, celebrated for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Frank, and most recently, Conclave— the Vatican-set thriller that earned him an Academy Award earlier this year. Straughan’s gift for adaptation and character depth will be key in bringing the Beatles’ internal struggles and triumphs to life.
Rounding out the trio is Jack Thorne, a BAFTA and Tony Award-winning writer whose body of work spans Enola Holmes, The Swimmers, Adolescence, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Thorne is no stranger to emotionally resonant storytelling, and his work on television dramas like Help and Best Interests has earned widespread critical acclaim.
Sam Mendes’ cinematic vision will take the form of four interconnected films, each offering a character-driven lens on the Beatles’ meteoric rise, turbulent fame, personal conflicts, and cultural impact. The ensemble cast includes rising British stars Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison — a lineup that’s already generating buzz.
What makes this project historic is its scope: never before has a biopic series of this scale been attempted for a single band. With full cooperation from Apple Corps and the Beatles’ estates, audiences can expect iconic music, period accuracy, and deeply human portrayals of four artists who changed music forever.
As Sony Pictures prepares for the 2028 release, The Beatles: A Four-Film Cinematic Event is shaping up to be more than just a celebration of a legendary band — an exploration of individual genius, friendship, and the cost of global fame.
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