Fans are missing the silver lining of The Beatles biopics’ risky first look stunt

At long last, the first look at Sam Mendes’ upcoming Beatles biopics is here, showing off Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr.

The reception has been mixed, to say the least, and understandably so. As a huge Beatles fan, it’s hard to ignore that all but one of them actually look “fab,” or like their real-life counterpart — that being Mescal as McCartney.

Otherwise, the images — which were originally released via a marketing stunt by Sony where they hid these images at a university in Liverpool and have since been released officially — look like AI’s attempt at making the casting choices make sense.

The Beatles. April 2028.

Paul Mescal is Paul McCartney
Barry Keoghan is Ringo Starr
Joseph Quinn is George Harrison
Harris Dickinson is John Lennon

The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event, directed by Sam Mendes. #TheBeatlesMovies pic.twitter.com/YXQCr7idCk

— The Beatles (@thebeatles) January 30, 2026

No offense to Dickinson, Quinn, or even Keoghan — who have all given admirable performances in the past — but these first-look pictures aren’t selling anyone on the bizarre choices to have them play members of the Fab Four.

Be that as it may, the outrage the images have caused is masking something positive about the four movies, which are set to be released on the same day on Apr. 7, 2028.

Why The Beatles biopic first look images are a good thing

As a Beatles fan, one concern about having four biopics — one about each member — was that they were all going to focus on the band’s formation, leading to an Avengers-like team-up by the end.

Personally, there is already a wealth of Beatles documentaries (i.e. the recent Anthology remaster) that are so much richer than any biopic. However, if they were insistent on four individual biopics, they would have to focus on various parts of the band’s decade-long run.

For example, seeing McCartney’s relationship with Lennon explored in one and then Harrison’s visits to India in another would be fascinating. What they would do for Starr is unclear — perhaps do a trippy hybrid animated-live-action to make something in between the Magical Mystery Tour and Yellow Submarine movies. Then, for Lennon, you could tell the rudimentary story of him losing his mother as a teenager, forming the Quarrymen, which eventually became the Beatles.

Luckily, some of the casting — such as Anna Sawai as Yoko Ono, who didn’t come around until the middle of the Beatles’ run — has given hope that they would focus on various parts of the band. The first look images further that hope.

Fans should be thrilled that the movies are now all but confirmed to take place across the Beatles’ run. McCartney’s picture appears to be taken from the Cavern Club. Meanwhile, Lennon, Harrison, and Starr all look like their real-life counterparts at various points of the band’s decade-long run.

Now, we await a trailer

The next step is waiting for a trailer for the Beatles biopics. Judgment will have to be reserved as much as possible until footage is seen.

Still, the first look images didn’t look great. Mendes and the rest of the cast will have an uphill battle ahead of them. Hopefully, they are able to prove the doubters wrong.

It will all come down to the stories Mendes and Co. decide to tell. They ripped the proverbial band-aid off with these images, and now they can look ahead.

The Beatles did that earlier in their career. Nowadays, we hail them as one of the greatest bands of all time. However, like most bands, they had humble beginnings. As they sang, “it’s getting better all the time.” The same could be said of the biopics.

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