BAFTA winner Mia McKenna-Bruce, four-time Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Saoirse Ronan, Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Anna Sawai, and Emmy Award nominee and BAFTA TV winner Aimee Lou Wood are set to star in Sony Pictures, Sam Mendes, and Neal Street Productions’ The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event.
McKenna-Bruce will portray Maureen (Cox) Starkey, Ronan will take on Linda (Eastman) McCartney, Sawai will play Yoko Ono, and Wood stars as Pattie Boyd.
“Maureen, Linda, Yoko and Pattie are four fascinating and unique figures in their own right — and I’m thrilled that we’ve managed to persuade four of the most talented women working in film today to join this amazing adventure,” said Mendes.
Each of the four women held a significant place in The Beatles’ story:
-
Maureen Cox Starkey (Mia McKenna-Bruce) met Ringo Starr at the Cavern Club in 1962, marrying him in 1965 and sharing three children together.
-
Linda Eastman McCartney (Saoirse Ronan) was a celebrated photographer who met Paul McCartney in 1967 — a love story that began with what McCartney described as “the first time I saw her, I just knew.”
-
Yoko Ono (Anna Sawai) first met John Lennon at her London art exhibition, sparking a lifelong creative and romantic partnership.
-
Pattie Boyd (Aimee Lou Wood), a successful model, met George Harrison on the set of A Hard Day’s Night in 1964 and became his muse, sharing his growing interest in Eastern mysticism.
Further casting announcements for Cynthia Lennon, Brian Epstein, George Martin, Ravi Shankar, and other key figures are forthcoming.
Starring Harris Dickinson, Barry Keoghan, Paul Mescal, and Joseph Quinn, the project marks the first time Apple Corps Ltd. and The Beatles have granted full life story and music rights for a scripted film. Mendes has conceived four interconnected theatrical features — each told from one band member’s perspective — that together form a groundbreaking cinematic experience.
A Neal Street production in association with Apple Corps for Sony Pictures, the films are produced by Mendes, Pippa Harris, Julie Pastor, and Alexandra Derbyshire. Sony Pictures will finance and distribute the four films worldwide with full theatrical windows in April 2028.
McKenna-Bruce rose to prominence with her award-winning role in How to Have Sex, which premiered at Cannes and won the Un Certain Regard award. Ronan is best known for her acclaimed performances in Lady Bird, Little Women, Brooklyn, and Atonement. Sawai recently earned Emmy and Golden Globe wins for her powerful performance in Shogun, while Wood received an Emmy nomination for The White Lotus and a BAFTA TV Award for Sex Education.
Representation: McKenna-Bruce (42 Management, UTA, Luber Roklin), Ronan (CAA), Sawai (WME, 42, United Agents, Chris Abramson), Wood (CAA, Independent, Sloane Offer Weber Dern).
