Paul McCartney on the bugbear from upcoming Beatles biopics that made him text Sam Mendes “don’t do this!”
Paul McCartney has backed Sam Mendes’s four-film Beatles biopic project but raised a concern after seeing a still from filming: the actor playing him appeared shorter than the actor playing John Lennon. He texted Mendes, “Don’t do this!”, making light of a detail he says does not reflect the band’s members being roughly the same height.
The director reassured McCartney that the difference came from the actors’ stride patterns and later sent another image in which they looked equal in height. The films are planned for simultaneous release in April 2028, with Paul Mescal, Harris Dickinson, Joseph Quinn and Barry Keoghan portraying the four Beatles, each from a different member’s perspective.
- McCartney questioned a height difference in a Beatles biopic still.
- Mendes said the actors’ stride patterns explained the appearance.
- Four Beatles films are planned for April 2028.
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The Beatles were a British rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. Paul McCartney and John Lennon were singer-songwriters in the group, alongside George Harrison and Ringo Starr; the band became one of the most influential acts in popular music before splitting up in 1970.
Director Sam Mendes is making four films about the band, with each told from a different Beatle’s perspective. The actors playing the musicians are Paul Mescal, Harris Dickinson, Joseph Quinn and Barry Keoghan. The project is planned for release in April 2028.
The films revisit the lives and relationships of people whose music remains widely known. Details such as the actors’ appearance can draw attention because viewers may compare them with familiar images of the real band.